Best Friends No More?

Pop quiz: Which nation has been the most loyal U.S. ally in Asia for the longest amount of time? Hint: It’s neither Japan nor South Korea.

The answer is the Philippines. But if that nation’s provocative new president has his way, it might not be true for long. President Rodrigo Duterte, elected in a landslide in May, is demanding a “separation” from the United States and is pulling closer to China. He even wants the hundreds of U.S. troops stationed in the Philippines to leave within two years. 

“I want them out,” Duterte said in October.

The move not only threatens the long-standing ties between the U.S. and the Philippines, but also runs counter to the deep and positive feelings many Filipinos have for America.

“I voted for him, but I’m not sure what he is doing right now,” says Jess Custodio, a bank executive in Manila, the capital. “It is baffling to me. It would tear out the heart of many Filipinos to separate.”

The vast majority of Filipinos—92 percent—hold a favorable view of the U.S., according to a 2015 survey by the Pew Research Center, in Washington, D.C. They love American movies, music, and fashion. Shopping malls are packed with American brands of clothes, cosmetics, appliances, and foods.

Just as important, the U.S. plays a vital role in the Philippine economy. About 4 million Filipinos and Filipino-Americans currently live in the U.S., and they send $10 billion a year to relatives back home. Many American companies, including Citibank, the insurance company Aetna, and social gaming company Zynga, rely on call centers in the Philippines to handle their customer service lines. Partly because many Filipinos speak English, the call center industry is one of the fastest-growing segments of the economy, employing more than 1 million people.

Pop quiz: Which nation has been the most loyal U.S. ally in Asia for the longest amount of time? Hint: It’s neither Japan nor South Korea.

The answer is the Philippines. But with a new, aggressive president in office in the Philippines, it might not be true for long. President Rodrigo Duterte was elected in May with an overwhelming majority. He is now demanding a “separation” from the United States. He is also pulling closer to China. He even wants the hundreds of U.S. troops stationed in the Philippines to leave within two years. 

“I want them out,” Duterte said in October.

The move threatens the long-standing ties between the U.S. and the Philippines. It also runs counter to the deep and positive feelings many Filipinos have for America.

“I voted for him, but I’m not sure what he is doing right now,” says Jess Custodio, a bank executive in Manila, the capital. “It is baffling to me. It would tear out the heart of many Filipinos to separate.”

The vast majority of Filipinos, 92 percent, hold a favorable view of the U.S., according to a 2015 survey by the Pew Research Center, in Washington, D.C. They love American movies, music, and fashion. Shopping malls are packed with American brands of clothes, cosmetics, appliances, and foods.

The U.S. plays a vital role in the Philippine economy too. About 4 million Filipinos and Filipino-Americans currently live in the U.S. They send $10 billion a year to relatives back home. Many American companies, including Citibank, the insurance company Aetna, and social gaming company Zynga, employ Filipinos. Such companies rely on call centers in the Philippines to handle their customer service lines. Many Filipinos speak English, and the call center industry is one of the fastest-growing segments of the economy. It employs more than 1 million people.

But there have been strains. The U.S. supported longtime Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who declared martial law and stole millions from the country during his presidency (1965-86). When mass demonstrations finally ousted Marcos, he and his wife, Imelda, fled to the U.S., taking with them a planeload of expensive clothes, jewelry, and gold bricks. 

U.S. relations with Duterte, 71, have gotten off to a rocky start. Since taking office, he has conducted a violent war on drugs that’s led to the killing of about 1,400 suspects by the police and hundreds of other questionable deaths.  

The antidrug campaign has earned Duterte critics within his own country and also sharp rebukes from U.S. officials. After one such criticism from the U.S., Duterte responded by saying President Obama could “go to hell.” 

The U.S. had been counting on its partnership with the Philippines—and the promised use of five Philippine military bases—to beef up American influence in Asia. One of the Obama administration’s top foreign-policy goals has been to push back against China’s growing influence in the region. 

The U.S. is giving the Philippines more than $90 million in military aid this year and has provided more than $1 billion in nonmilitary support over the past five years, much of it for disaster relief. Despite that support, some Filipinos are frustrated by what they see as years of being taken for granted by the U.S. 

“Maybe it’s time to find a new alliance or depend on other countries,” says Rod Rivera, 24, of Manila. 

But there have been strains too. The U.S. supported longtime Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos. During his presidency (1965-86), Marcos declared martial law. He also stole millions from the country. Mass demonstrations finally ousted Marcos. He and his wife, Imelda, fled to the U.S. They took with them a planeload of expensive clothes, jewelry, and gold bricks.

U.S. relations with Duterte, 71, have gotten off to a rocky start. Since taking office, Duterte has conducted a violent war on drugs. That has led to the killing of about 1,400 suspects by the police and hundreds of other questionable deaths.

His antidrug campaign has earned him criticism within his own country and also from U.S. officials. After one such criticism from the U.S., Duterte responded by saying President Obama could “go to hell.” 

The U.S. had been counting on its alliance with the Philippines to increase American influence in Asia. One of the Obama administration’s top foreign-policy goals has been to push back against China’s growing influence in the region. 

The U.S. is giving the Philippines more than $90 million in military aid this year. They have also provided more than $1 billion in nonmilitary support over the past five years. Much of it was allocated for disaster relief. Despite that support, some Filipinos are frustrated that the U.S. has taken their alliance for granted for many years. 

“Maybe it’s time to find a new alliance or depend on other countries,” says Rod Rivera, 24, of Manila.

Seizing on those frustrations, Duterte has moved to improve relations with China, the region’s largest power. The two nations have squabbled over who controls a number of disputed islands in the South China Sea (see map above), but Duterte seems willing to set aside this disagreement. China was the Philippines’ second-largest trading partner last year, after Japan. 

American officials continue to emphasize the historic ties between the U.S. and its former territory. “Our history of cooperation spans 70 years, and our commitment to this country remains unchanged,” says Philip Goldberg, the U.S. ambassador. 

And that holds true for many Filipinos.

“Practically every family here has a relative in the U.S.,” says Roilo Golez, a former national security adviser in the Philippines. “They don’t dream of going to China and living there.”

Taking advantage of those frustrations, Duterte has moved to improve relations with China. China is the region’s largest power. The two nations have fought over who controls a number of disputed islands in the South China Sea. But Duterte seems willing to set aside this disagreement. China was the Philippines’ second-largest trading partner last year, after Japan. 

American officials continue to emphasize the historic ties between the U.S. and its former territory. “Our history of cooperation spans 70 years, and our commitment to this country remains unchanged,” says Philip Goldberg, the U.S. ambassador. 

And that holds true for many Filipinos. “Practically every family here has a relative in the U.S.,” says Roilo Golez, a former national security adviser in the Philippines. “They don’t dream of going to China and living there.”