Rodrigo Duterte (Image: Wiki Commons) |
Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson on Wednesday speculated that it would take some time before President Rodrigo Duterte turns into “a real statesman”.
Lacson was commenting on the former Davao City mayor’s remark to pull out American soldiers from Mindanao.
President Duterte has also said that the Philippines will not participate in joint patrols in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea).
Lacson said in an interview that if the President continues to make such statements, which are regarded as national policies, foreign relations could be affected.
“This has an implication on our foreign relations. Frankly, we don’t know what the US State Department is thinking — their president and ambassador. Maybe it takes time to metamorphose into a real statesman,” Lacson said in a mix of English and Filipino.
He further said that while the President’s credibility to the international community could suffer, it is possible that his credibility to the Filipino people would remain.
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