Will Russian weapons speak in the Philippines?

31
An unusual guest visited Russia - the notorious president of the “country of seven thousand islands” (Philippine Republic) Rodrigo Duterte. Among the modern heads of state of the world, he is one of the most extravagant. The unprecedented campaign against drugs and drug trafficking announced by Duterte immediately after coming to power gained fame throughout the world.

Duterte - a fighter against drug trafficking



On a very active and taut Duterte, one cannot say that he is seventy-two years old. He looks like a youthful and strong man who knows what he wants. The head of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte took less than a year ago, 30 June 2016 g. Before that, he very long headed the city of Davao. He first became mayor in the 1988 year and held this post until the 1998 year - ten years. The second mayor term was in the 2001-2010 years and amounted to nine years. And the third time Duterte visited the mayor's chair from 30 June 2013 of the year to 30 of June 2016 of the year. The next step in his career was the presidency of the country.

Will Russian weapons speak in the Philippines?


Duterte is actively exploiting the image of a “man of the people,” who he is, in essence, is. Unlike many other Filipino politicians, he does not have Chinese or Spanish blood, he is an indigenous Filipino and tries to position himself as a patriot, practically nationalist. It was on the national feelings of the Filipinos that Duterte made a bid in his election campaign. As you can see - did not lose.

Having come to power, Duterte immediately launched a powerful anti-drug company. Police and special volunteer squads not only seize drug dealers across the country, but also simply shoot them on the spot. And such a brutal tactic can be understood - drugs have literally killed the Philippines for a long time, especially the younger generation. The Philippine cities were infested with drug addicts and drug addicts, and drug traffickers became so brazen that they acted openly, without fear of the police and special services. And it was not surprising, since many police officers and even generals were involved in corrupt relations with the “bosses” of the Philippine criminal gangs who control drug trafficking in the country. Rodrigo Duterte decided to put an end to this sad situation for the country. What immediately provoked discontent of the world community, which was concerned with inhumane methods of influence on drug traffickers.

Whose son is Obama

As you know, for a long time the Philippines obediently followed in the wake of American foreign policy. Back in the early twentieth centuries. The Philippines was under the control of the Americans, who initially supported the Filipinos in the struggle against the Spanish colonialists, who had owned the country of seven thousand islands for several centuries. The Philippines throughout the 20th century remained a reliable US satellite in the Asia-Pacific region. The behavior of Rodrigo Duterte as president of the country has become even more unusual.

Duterte, who literally began shooting at drug dealers and drug addicts on the streets of Philippine cities, immediately provoked sharp criticism from the American leadership. But instead of taking the words of the leaders of the United States and changing their behavior, as any of its predecessors would have done, Duterte unexpectedly reacted very sharply. The first from Duterte went to US Ambassador to Manila Philip Goldberg. In August 2016, the newly elected president responded to criticism from the ambassador, calling the diplomat a homosexual and a son of a bitch. Perhaps, for the first time in a country that was considered a traditional satellite of the United States, the head of state allowed himself to do with the American ambassador.

5 September 2016, speaking at a press conference, he collapsed with harsh words addressed to Barack Obama himself.
- Who does he think he is? I am not an American puppet. I am the president of a sovereign country, and I am not accountable to anyone except the people of the Philippines, ”said Duterte. “Son of a bitch, I'll tell you what!”
Duterte's words came as a shock to the entire world community, and above all to the United States, who considered the Philippines to be their obedient semi-colony.

Is the course towards Russia and China a reality or demagogy?

Further more - Duterte said that it is time for the Philippines to change the vector of foreign policy and promised that he would focus on cooperation with China and Russia. He spoke about the prospect of the liquidation of US naval and air bases in the Philippines, which had previously seemed unthinkable. At the same time, the President of the Philippines expressed his admiration for the Russian President Vladimir Putin. There is nothing surprising in this - the image of a strong leader who is able to resist the pro-American world community may well be impressed by Duterte, who tries to show himself just such a leader.

True, many politicians in the Philippines themselves believe that Duterte’s activities are typical demagoguery. There is a strong opposition in the Philippines, trying to accuse the president not only of mass repressions against drug traffickers, but also of corruption, and even of involvement in drug trafficking — it eliminates competitors, they say. Senator Leila de Lima even publicly accused Duterte of mass murder. A certain Edgar Matobato spoke in the Senate with the testimony that for a long time he served as a killer in the Lambada grouping, created by Duterte when the mayor of Davao was still being killed for drug dealers and simply for people he disliked. These accusations were gladly supported in the USA, since Duterte managed to set up very strongly against himself the American establishment.

By the way, after the election of Donald Trump as the new US president, the Philippine leader somewhat reduced the intensity of his anti-American rhetoric. Trump is the same age as Rodrigo Duterte, and is also known for his harsh statements. They have a certain similarity, and this is noticed by many journalists, both American and Filipino. But Duterte himself does not like being compared with Donald Trump. He calls him a "fanatic", and himself - a purely rationalist politician.



As for rapprochement with Russia, it has two motives. The first is purely economic. We will tell about it below. The second lies in the plane of the demonstration. And in this meeting in Moscow is beneficial to both leaders. For Vladimir Putin, the visit of the head of the Philippines is an extra trump card in favor of demonstrating Russian political authority and presence in the countries of Southeast Asia, including those traditionally allies and military partners of the United States. Rodrigo Duterte, in his turn, received the opportunity to once again show his independence in the foreign policy sphere to Washington. Of course, it’s ridiculous to talk about some kind of military alliance between Russia and the Philippines - this is impossible, if only because of the enormous distance between the countries, the impossibility of the Philippines to give some kind of "bonuses" to Russia in a military-strategic sense. And the American bases from the territory of the Philippines are not withdrawn, despite promises from Duterte. But once again showing Washington - first to Obama, and now to Trump - that the owner in Manila is still the president of the Philippines, and not the American ambassador, Duterte was always ready.

Manila is looking for a "new gunsmith"

Almost a year after the presidency, Rodrigo Duterte finally arrived in Moscow. May 25 Duterte was supposed to meet with Vladimir Putin. However, the meeting occurred earlier. Rodrigo Duterte explained to the head of the Russian state that he would be forced to leave home earlier than he had planned. In the Philippines, fighting continues with government forces with groups closely linked to the IS (prohibited in Russia), and Duterte cannot be absent for so long in the country.

What did the Philippine leader discuss with his Russian counterpart? There were no special relations or even a developed economic partnership between Russia and the Philippines. The Philippines supplied dried mango and palm oil. In some major cities in the families of wealthy people in European fashion appeared Filipino maids. Here, in general, and everything that binds our countries.

The trade turnover between the Philippines and Russia, due to the listed features of the economic relations between the two countries, remains low. It is 226 million dollars - not so much. Rodrigo Duterte, by the way, during a visit to Moscow, stated the need to expand exports of Philippine agricultural products to the Russian Federation. First of all, we are talking about exotic fruits that can be claimed by the Russian buyer.

But the question of what the Philippines can get from Russia is much more relevant for Duterte. Now for Manila, there is an acute problem of finding new channels for acquiring weapons. Previously, the "main gunsmith" of the Philippine army was the United States. But due to the behavior of President Duterte, American aid has declined. Yes, and to pay dearly for American weapons, this is the Philippine president and he attended to the possibility of acquiring cheaper weapons. Russia, which has long been selling weapons to many neighbors of the Philippines, is well suited for the role of a “gunsmith” for Manila.

By the way, shortly before the visit of President Duterte, the Minister of National Defense of the Philippines, Dolphin Lorenzana, visited Moscow, and met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Shoigu. He told reporters about the upcoming signing of a cooperation agreement between the two countries in the defense sphere.

“The Philippines seeks to cooperate with countries with which we can enter into lucrative deals and which most closely match the defense needs of the Philippines,” said the spokeswoman for the Philippine Foreign Ministry, Maria Cleofe Navidad.

Russia to such countries, of course, applies. And although Moscow was not previously among the military-political partners of Manila, why not start a new tradition? Moreover, with the same China, which Duterte intended to reorient to, in the Philippines there are still unresolved disputes over control of the sea space. In addition, China has clear ambitions for hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region, which Russia does not have. Moscow could simply demonstrate moral support for Manila, without demanding any special privileges in return. Rodrigo Duterte himself understands this perfectly well.

Weapons useful in the fight against the rebels

The problem of supplying weapons for Duterte is one of the most pressing. After all, government forces are still fighting against the numerous partisan groups on the island of Mindanao and some other islands.

The official authorities are opposed by two main armed political forces. The first is the rebels of the Moro - Filipino Muslims, who demand separation from the Philippines and the creation of their own Muslim state. Among them there are groups associated with influential international structures, receiving assistance from Arab foundations. For example, Abu Sayyaf has long been listed as a dangerous terrorist organization. Other moro groups are more moderate and do not cooperate with the international terrorist underground, although they also receive financial and other assistance from some Muslim states.

The second opponents of the current Filipino regime are the Maoist Communists from the New People’s Army, who, according to the precepts of their leader José Maria Sison, want to carry out a communist revolution in the country and start building a new society. Both have been fighting for decades, about sixty years. The Philippine authorities, despite American military aid, cannot defeat them. The Maoists enjoy the support of the peasant population in remote areas and for many decades have been able to create a sufficiently numerous and efficient army, which is constantly replenished with "recruits" from among the peasant youth, including very young people.

To fight the rebels, weapons always needed a lot. Moreover, with the sharp remarks of Duterte, the prospect of the Philippine Maidan is not excluded. Therefore, the question of improving the weapons of the army and the police is very acute in the country. It is not excluded that agreements on the supply of arms may be signed between Russia and the Philippines - and then Russian helicopters, armored personnel carriers and assault rifles will “talk” in the distant tropics of Southeast Asia.
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  1. +6
    25 May 2017 05: 58
    Will Russian weapons speak in the Philippines?

    He has no money ...
    1. +4
      25 May 2017 06: 03
      Quote: Olgovich
      Will Russian weapons speak in the Philippines?

      He has no money ...

      and "Kalash" there have long been "living" .... he probably wants something "more tasty" ..
      There were no special relations or even developed economic partnerships between Russia and the Philippines before. Philippines supplied dried mangoes and Palm oil.
      yes a nail in their head for such "products" ...
      1. +4
        25 May 2017 09: 08
        Duterte just plays in public. He can shoot any number of drug addicts in the country. (Although extrajudicial reprisals are really unacceptable. 100% will be completely innocent people. They were just laid by a neighbor, an envious person. A debtor, the husband of a lover or the lover of his wife, there are a lot of options) But the foreign policy, to put it mildly, is slightly different from the domestic one. There is far from populism. He, if desired, will not be able to break with the Americans. Their economy is tied up with them. And in addition. as a colleague said, he has no money and will not appear in the near future. So what can offer only a purchase for loans.
        1. +1
          27 May 2017 23: 54
          Do not write nonsense. If he is a drug addict, or director, the entire drug addiction movement knows about it. It is easy to figure out such people. They must receive what they deserve. When trading in death, they must understand that it will come for them. Duterte is a man. He will be understood by the next generation, who will know that drugs are death.
      2. +5
        25 May 2017 13: 19
        Palm oil is a vegetable oil obtained from the meaty part of the fruits of the oil palm (Elaeis guineensis). One of the oldest food products of mankind, known in ancient Egypt.
        Crude (red) palm oil is superior to sunflower oil in vitamin E both in quantity and in the number of tocotrienol groups. By the number of carotenoids (including vitamin A precursors), palm oil is significantly superior to other vegetable oils (in which they are contained in small quantities), it is a record holder among products and even exceeds fish oil. It has also been shown in rats that carotene concentrations increase in internal organs. A large amount of carotene, according to the authors of the study of palm oil, reduces the likelihood of cancer, while there is generalized scientific evidence supporting the hypothesis that the consumption of high doses of beta-carotene can increase the risk of cancer. However, refined (refined, bleached, and deodorized) palm oil, widely used in industry, no longer contains carotene, and its vitamin E content is only 8-16 mg per 100 g.
        Like vegetable oils, both sunflower and palm oil do not contain cholesterol. However, due to palmitic acid, palm oil can stimulate the generation of cholesterol by the human body itself, in terms of the level of danger from cholesterol, becoming comparable to the use of butter, chocolate or lard. Some researchers do not agree with this statement and indicate that no significant difference in the effect on cholesterol between olive and palm oils was found.
        Palm oil is red, refined and technical. Red useful, refined - medium, technical is the cheapest.
      3. +3
        25 May 2017 13: 36
        and where is the dried mango?
        1. +1
          25 May 2017 22: 23
          Nothing agreed, what dried mango? The Americans landed an igilosvsky landing on the islands, and Duterte left immediately. And so we would offer them weapons at the expense of VMB rental feel
    2. +6
      25 May 2017 06: 16
      Quote: Olgovich
      He has no money ...

      For what mood laughing good
    3. +6
      25 May 2017 07: 36
      Quote: Olgovich
      He has no money ...

      He will take a loan from Russia to buy weapons from Russia. Business 21 century.
      We must go to a neighbor, take from him a reciprocal purchase of a car. And when he gives, buy from him a car that he sells.
      The question is, who in this situation is a sucker?
      1. 0
        25 May 2017 13: 50
        The question is, who in this situation is a sucker?

        Obviously, the one who got the car for free said a couple of beautiful phrases to his neighbor;)
      2. 0
        28 May 2017 00: 37
        Quote: Alexander Romanov

        He will take a loan from Russia to buy weapons from Russia. Business 21 century.
        We must go to a neighbor, take from him a reciprocal purchase of a car. And when he gives, buy from him a car that he sells.
        The question is, who in this situation is a sucker?

        All the same, you are an evil person.
        There is another option. The President of the Philippines will come to Russia, take a loan, and get this money uphill In and BT, from our mutual friend (the great soul of man) Un.
        Thus, the Russian Federation will do two good deeds at once, and Unu and the Philippines will help ..... (the main thing is that the Chinese do not know anything, otherwise they will swear again) ....
        The benefit for the Russian Federation is that ammunition, fuel and lubricants, etc. are needed for B and BT received from Yun, the Russian Federation quickly organizes the Philippine Express on a reimbursable basis, and you can buy transport from the Turks or from the South Koreans again ....
    4. +4
      25 May 2017 13: 38
      Quote: Olgovich
      Will Russian weapons speak in the Philippines?

      He has no money ...

      PPP Philippines GDP of about 800 billion. Military spending 4 billion. So something is
    5. 0
      25 May 2017 18: 41
      At 72, it’s impossible to demonstrate someone’s image, but looking at 40 is great!
  2. +1
    25 May 2017 06: 42
    The meaning of the article can be expressed simply: give money.
    Now there will probably be comments that will delight how duther with drug addicts cool and the desire to apply this in the Russian Federation.
    I want to remind you that the outrage of the world community did not cause him to fight drugs, but by what method it happens, that all this happens without trial, it’s very convenient to settle personal scores, six are shot, and there are no drug mafia bosses. I won’t be surprised that they use this for their own benefit to their advantage. Instead of long work on reforming and changing policies, he decided to use the simplest method!
    Regarding the Maidan, well, if duterte is a great economist like Maduro, then he will most likely be.
    And insulting a person is not good. This I say to the fact that when McCain recently insulted Putin and Lavrov, many were indignant, but in this case there is no indignation, but there is an attempt to expose this as originality and wit
    1. 0
      27 May 2017 01: 08
      To understand the difference specifically for Andreyev. When the first person of one state speaks about another first person - this is one thing. And when a mongrel barks, which the owner does not pull - this is different ...
      Although I doubt that this may be understandable to the liberoid. Double standards will not allow creaks of gyrus in the right direction ...
  3. +2
    25 May 2017 07: 34
    It is possible and necessary to cooperate but not at our expense
  4. bad
    0
    25 May 2017 08: 29
    cunning as our neighbors .. and also all for free ..
  5. +1
    25 May 2017 09: 22
    there already ISIS drew
    1. 0
      25 May 2017 20: 56
      where the Americans are there and igil is an axiom if you do not know
  6. +3
    25 May 2017 10: 06
    In Russia, everyone is waiting for foreign investment, which supposedly will greatly enhance our economy and our welfare, but you will see how millions and billions leave the country every day and you understand that we are even ahead of our welfare. How many tens of billions of dollars we have forgiven and forgive those who took loans from us, including for arming .. !!!! They assure us that our military budget is the basis for the protection of our country and the preservation of its sovereignty - I’m ready to put up with it, understanding, but it is asked from what budget weapons are produced, which are given to other countries for our loans, and then ..... mediocre simply debited !!! ???? Geopolitics, but it must be taken into account, but how do you understand that in our country, politicians such as the traitor Gorbachev, the drunkard and the traitor Yeltsin come to power over and over, sorry, goes down the drain ??? Half the world is fighting with our weapons, the Kalashnikov assault rifle is still reliable and easy to use, but the trouble is that it’s not hot for an ordinary Russian, it’s cold and good if only a patriotic ruler, and if the next traitor ... and really saved our formidable at that time, weapons from the collapse of the USSR and what the then geopolitics helped us with were all that they could ...! ??? We need to help with weapons, but for money, gold or goods, and only then the country and its people will become rich, like the USA under Lend-Lease, everything was paid for with gold, even that which the Nazis drowned or destroyed. and so some kind of strange game for fools, we give weapons for our credit and after that ..... write off .. !!!! ?????
    1. +2
      25 May 2017 14: 00
      The article mentions that the Philippines wants to get weapons for coconut oil, dry mango and Philippines.

      So it’s not free, but for me, these Filipinos and dry butter, like a dog’s fifth leg.
      And you can’t even eat Filipinos, I don’t understand who it might have occurred to them to get them into the house.
      Although I suspect that due to the language barrier, such servants are less likely to gossip and do not steal. nowhere to drag;)
    2. +1
      25 May 2017 22: 30
      Antor Today, 10:06
      In Russia, everyone is waiting for foreign investment, which supposedly will greatly enhance our economy and our welfare, but you will see how millions and billions leave the country every day and you understand that we are even ahead of our welfare. How many tens of billions of dollars we have forgiven and forgive those who took loans from us, including for arming .. !!!! They assure us that our military budget is the basis for the protection of our country and the preservation of its sovereignty - I’m ready to put up with it, understanding, but it is asked from what budget weapons are produced, which are given to other countries under our loans, and then ..... mediocre simply debited !!! ????


      Why do you think that they are cheating off? Isn't it more logical to assume that this is a containment program in action? We have a lot of money and they are all being shoved somewhere, if only they would not remain in the economy. And under what cover is this all happening?

      We generally do not need any investment. Just stop the outflow and the country will be drowned in money if it does not direct them to development. And if he sends ... in 20 years the world will only whimper at distant approaches.
  7. 0
    25 May 2017 17: 02
    the fact that in our warehouses it is necessary to update it and it doesn’t cost much. It can be sold or a good barter can be screwed up. And the new and the last one is necessary, in view of the big rustling.
  8. 0
    25 May 2017 18: 03
    Quote: Krabik
    because nowhere to drag

    nothing, Sberbank will open its daughters there, millions will flow there by stream ... then the Sberbank daughters will be taken away, and the state budget will compensate for all losses.
    And what? Effective managers need to be supported.
    Rake .. rake .. they don’t teach anything if there is a desire to fill their pockets.
  9. 0
    25 May 2017 22: 21
    Duterte just plays in public. He can shoot any number of drug addicts in the country. (Although extrajudicial reprisals are really unacceptable. 100% will be completely innocent people. They were just laid by a neighbor, an envious person. A debtor, the husband of a lover or the lover of a wife- options mass


    Yes, without options, liberoid paranoia. If Duterte had a goal - to kill, he would sing liberal songs and wet those who can be wet with impunity. The list can be taken from the ambassador 3,14 ndostan ... and would be glorified from all as a fighter for democracy and the rights of monkeys.

    And so of course, it’s bad, for a dose of gerych - just a blindfold. But it has long been known that exhortations will not bring up. The Germans out there, absorbed great respect for paying for public transport. And nobody said a word to them. However, they remember and honor. If Duterte's goal is to instill in the population an aversion to drugs, then not only everyone will delve into and think about it.
  10. 0
    25 May 2017 23: 48
    Here's a friend .. and we need ...
    On the rubbing snot ... some ...
    A real man!
    At the current stage ...
    The interests of the Philippines and Russia ...
    Much match!
    I remember there was such a president of Indonesia, Sukarno ...
    Best friend of Nikita Sergeevich Khrushchev ...
    Party nickname ... Comrade Carnot ...
    With our help ... He firmly gave ... "in the ass" ....
    Dutch colonialists .. and their friends ...
    From England and the USA ...
    So ..We will be friends with Duterte!
  11. 0
    26 May 2017 00: 21
    It is possible that between Russia and the Philippines can be signed agreements on the supply of weapons - and then Russian helicopters, armored personnel carriers and machine guns "talk" in the distant tropics of Southeast Asia.

    Our weapons so "speaks" on all continents ...
  12. 0
    28 May 2017 02: 16
    At MMG, the AKM 1967 mock-ups are cut, imagine how much of this stuff is still left and it costs a penny. The Department of Defense sold a little more expensive scrap metal before. Though now they seem to have stopped a bit.
    1. 0
      28 May 2017 02: 20
      AK in the arsenals of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation - 17 million
  13. 0
    29 May 2017 10: 56
    it would be inconvenient somehow to happen if Russia began to beat the Communists, albeit of an Asian sense.
    1. 0
      29 May 2017 15: 56
      Quote: Salad
      it would be inconvenient somehow to happen if Russia began to beat the Communists, albeit of an Asian sense.

      No, they probably will not be touched, they will focus on the Ishilovites ...

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