US President Joe Biden with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. during the bilateral meeting at the oval office of the White House in Washington D.C. on May 01, 2023. Kj Rosales,PPA/pool

MANILA — The Philippine government has allowed itself to be "used" by the United States in its own geopolitical rivalry with China, causing the worsening tension between Manila and Beijing, according to former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Duterte claimed Filipino fishermen were free to make a living in the disputed seas during his term, until the new administration took over and changed course, a claim that is contrary to reports by fishers who said they had bee harassed by Chinese vessels despite warmer relations between Manla and Beijing.

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"Wala naman tayong away sa China noon (We were not fighting with China before). We were free to fish in and out the area, nobody was bugging us and there was no issue of territory. We were not molested, we were there to fish, to make a living. Ito na lang ngayon [nag]bago nitong diskarte," Duterte told Tacloban reporters on Sunday.

The Philippines in 2013 filed an arbitration case against China over its nine-dash-line claim that intruded into the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.  

Duterte's foreign policy was marked by his "pivot" to China, as he decided to set aside the Philippines' 2016 victory in the arbitral case.

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But his successor President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. appeared to restoring the country's ties with the United States.

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"Hindi ko ma-ano nga if I will be storytelling kung ano talaga nangyari, but alam ninyong lahat yan, what started the ruckus there. Never mind if America is using [us]... The Philippines, ginamit. Eh nagpagamit. Kanya-kanyang [diskarte], depende kung sinong nakaupo," Duterte said.

(I don't know if I would tell the story behind it, but I'm sure you know it well. The Philippines was used by the US, and the Philippines allowed itself to be used. But it is what it is, every leader has different strategy.)

Police block protesters during a rally in front of the Chinese Consulate in Manila on June 14, 2024, a day before China’s new trespass rule is set to take effect. Members of various multi-sectoral groups are condemning the regulation which allows Chinese coast guard to detain foreigners accused of trespassing in the South China Sea, including vast swathes of Philippine territory. Jam Sta. Rosa, AFP 

Apart from Duterte and his political allies, national democratic activist groups like Bagong Alyansang Makabayan — which have also protested Chinese incursions in Philippine waters — oppose US military presence in the country for allegedly putting the Philippines at risk of being caught in geopolitical conflict.

Bayan and its allied groups say that the US is using the Philippines and the West Philippine Sea issue to curb Chinese ambition in the region.

China has made a similar claim, which has earned the activists criticism for supposedly following Beijing's narrative despite their decades-long opposition to foreign interference in the Philippines.

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Duterte also claimed that US bases in the Philippines have "missiles" in place, making the Philippines more vulnerable to Chinese attack.

With the recent escalation in the West Philippine Sea, the US and the Philippines have reiterated that their mutual defense treaty would be activated in case of an armed attack.

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However, the Philippines also said it was willing to mend ties with China again, especially after the violent sea clash between China Coast Guard and the Philippines, during which a Navy officer lost a thumb due to high speed ramming.

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