But to meet the problem head-on, we had to break the wall of social indifference in people’s attitude

towards the problem and at the same time untangle the web of corruption that allowed this situation to
pervade through the years,” he noted.

Albayalde, who is cum laude of the PMA Sinagtala Class of 1986, has found an effective leadership with
the full support of national government.

The PNP, he said, went full steam in this national crusade against the three-headed hydra of crime, drugs
and corruption in the one whole of nation campaign, enlisting inter-agency and multi-sectoral support
and advocacy.

“The popular empirical expression of safety and security among our people manifested positive change
in the quality of life for a large plurality of Filipinos consistent with President Duterte’s vision of a
“comfortable life for all,” said Albayalde, who will be retiring on November 8, 2019 upon reaching the
mandatory retirement age of 56. (PNA)

Meanwhile, Eleazar of Hinirang Class of 1987 was awarded for Police Operations for his efforts against
illegal drugs and organized crime as then district director of the Quezon City Police District (QCPD).

The PMAAAI cited Eleazar, who pushed for a relentless drive against illegal drugs and other forms of
criminality in Quezon City that netted big criminal groups later on.

By late 2017, QCPD was chosen as the Most Trusted Police District based on surveys conducted by the
National Police Commission (Napolcom).

“Working quickly and precisely, the NCRPO immediately won awards in the PNP Anniversary – one for
being the best region in the war against illegal drugs, another as best region in internal cleansing,” t5he
PMAAAI said.
“As part of Team NCRPO since July 2016, the region experienced a 54 percent index crime reduction for
the first 30 months of this administration (Jul 2016 - Dec 2018) versus the last 30 months of the previous
administration (Jan 2014 - Jun 2016); and 21 percent crime drop in 2018 from 2017,” the PMAAAI added.

Eleazar expressed elation over the award.

“I would like to thank the PMA Alumni Association Inc. This Cavalier Award is something every PMA
graduate dreams of getting. This wll serve an inspiration for me. In my remaining years in the service, I
will continue to faithfully serve the public,” the NCRPO told reporters.

Metro Manila's top cop also stressed that he will continue to live by the ideals of the PMA even after
retiring from the service, adding that he will not get the award if not for the help of his colleagues in the
institution.
In the future, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte is likely to be remembered as the harbinger of a post-
American order in Asia and, so far, China has been the greatest beneficiary of his strategic recalibration.
Photo: EPA

Diplomacy

How Philippine President Duterte has transformed the Asian geopolitical landscape

The true revolution in Manila’s foreign policy is the almost overnight transformation of a US ally into a
leading sceptic of American leadership

Topic | The Philippines

Richard Heydarian

Published: 10:20am, 18 Dec, 2017

Updated: 10:30pm, 18 Dec, 2017

“[O]n extremely rare occasions, a single individual’s decisions can radically transform an entire country’s
political and socioeconomic structures, with global repercussions,” wrote Stephen Kotkin in his definitive
biography of Joseph Stalin. In many ways, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has exercised, albeit on a
humbler scale, a similar role in his country and the broader region. In the distant future, Duterte is likely
to be remembered as the harbinger of a post-American order in Asia. And without a question, so far,
China has been the greatest beneficiary of his strategic recalibration.

The true revolution in Duterte’s foreign policy is the almost overnight transformation of a United States
ally into a leading sceptic of American leadership in Asia. Under Duterte, relations with the US are no
longer as special and sacred as before, but instead largely transactional.

To appreciate Duterte’s singular and earth-shattering impact, one must put his foreign policy into proper
historical context. For decades, the Philippine-US alliance served the linchpin of an emerging anti-China
bloc in the Asia-Pacific region, with Japan, Australia, Vietnam and, increasingly, even India playing vital
supporting roles.

Philippines seeks military protocol with China to head off clashes after South China Sea stand-off
Over the years, the Philippines featured among the most staunchly pro-American (and anti-China)
nations on Earth. At one point, Filipinos had a higher approval rating of the US than Americans
themselves, while adopting a largely negative view of China.

In the 2013 Global Attitudes survey, conducted by the Pew Research Centre, up to 85 per cent of
Filipinos viewed the US in a favourable light as opposed to 81 per cent of Americans. Over the next two
years, an even larger number of Filipinos (92 per cent) gravitated towards the global superpower.

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Philippines President Duterte (right), pictured with Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xhan Phuc (left)
and US President Donald Trump said that the era of American supremacy was essentially over and that
the future of his country lay in deeper relations with Asian powers, particularly China. Photo: AFP

Since his ascent to power, the tough-talking leader, however, has upended the regional geopolitical order
by ending the Philippines’ century-old strategic subservience to the United States, a former colonial
master. “The future of the Philippines is in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and in Asia,”
Duterte said during his keynote speech at the World Economic Forum in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, earlier
this year. For him, Asians alone should decide the future of Asia with minimum interference from
Western powers.

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into China

This bold pronouncement went hand in hand with back-to-back visits to Beijing, a brazen snub of US
President Donald Trump’s invitation to the White House, and a cessation of all joint war games and
military exercises with the US in the South China Sea. Duterte said that the era of American supremacy
was essentially over and that the future of his country lay in deeper relations with Asian powers,
particularly China. Instead of confrontation with the rising superpower, he advocated dialogue and
cooperation.

Philippine President Duterte (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping seen in this 2016 file photo. As
chairman of Asean in 2107, Duterte promoted bilateral diplomacy with China, advocating an Asean-
China Code of Conduct to manage age-old maritime spats. Photo: AFP
His foreign policy pragmatism, combined with collapsing confidence in the US leadership under Trump,
seems to have struck a chord at home. A recent Pew Survey suggests a rapidly closing gap between the
US and China in the hearts and minds of the Filipino people. Over the past two years, the number of
Filipinos who favour closer trade relations with China has increased to 67 per cent from 43 per cent. In
contrast, the number who favour confrontation with China has fallen to 28 per cent from 41 per cent.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte wins extra year of martial law powers

While Duterte fell short of actually severing his country’s alliance with the US – as he threatened to do
on several occasions – bilateral relations are unlikely ever to return to their heyday. Today, Philippine-US
military cooperation is largely confined to counterterrorism, and humanitarian aid and disaster-relief
operations. Maritime security cooperation (against China) has been significantly curtailed. Despite the
highly cordial summit with Trump in November, the Filipino president made it crystal clear that his
rapprochement with China will continue unabated. The two neighbours are currently discussing billions
of dollars in big-ticket Chinese investments, which could overhaul the Philippines’ decrepit public
infrastructure. By and large, China stands at the core of Duterte’s national development agenda, dubbed
as “Dutertenomics”. In a remarkably consistent fashion, the mercurial Filipino leader also expressly
opposed interference by external powers, namely the US, in the South China Sea disputes.

Philippine police return to front lines of President Rodrigo Duterte’s drug war after two-month hiatus

As chairman of Asean this year, Duterte promoted bilateral diplomacy with China, advocating an Asean-
China Code of Conduct to manage age-old maritime spats. Thanks to the Filipino leader, China was able
to leverage its deep relations with the Asean as a shield against US involvement in the South China Sea.

In a twist of events, the Philippines has now emerged as one of the closest strategic partners of China in
the region, reinforcing expectations of an increasingly Beijing-led regional order. Nevertheless, nothing is
set in stone. Duterte’s outreach to China still faces significant opposition at home, especially among the
(US-leaning) security establishment and the liberal media intelligentsia complex. This is why it’s essential
for the two neighbours to not fall into strategic complacency.

China unhappy as Philippines signs investment deal with Taiwan

In the coming year, the two sides should translate their blossoming partnership into tangible and fruitful
cooperation on the ground, whether in the realm of infrastructure development or mutually acceptable
resource sharing agreements in the South China Sea. Otherwise, we may see another plot twist in the
tempestuous Philippine-US-China triangle. Yet, for now, few can deny how Duterte has turned his
country into Asia’s pivot state, much to the benefit of Beijing. Richard Javad Heydarian is an Asia-based
scholar and the author of several books, including Asia’s New Battlefield: US, China and the Struggle for
Western Pacific and The Rise of Duterte: A Populist Revolt Against Elite Democracy.

The Philippines

Rodrigo Duterte
Richard Heydarian

Richard Heydarian is a Manila-based academic and author of "Asia's New Battlefield: US, China and the
Struggle for Western Pacific" and the forthcoming "Duterte's Rise"

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