Philippines Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay made the comments after a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington Thursday, during which he described the US relationship with the Philippines as cooperative and symbiotic.

"We will always view the United States as an esteemed and trusted ally with whom we share not just a common history and shared values, but a common destiny as well."

The "little brown brothers" comment came during a Q+A session.

Here's what he said: </s> Philippines Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay made the comments after a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington Thursday, during which he described the US relationship with the Philippines as cooperative and symbiotic.

"We will always view the United States as an esteemed and trusted ally with whom we share not just a common history and shared values, but a common destiny as well."

The "little brown brothers" comment came during a Q+A session.

The phrase is used in the Philippines to refer to people that are trying to act like they're American. It's a bit jocular with a slight derogatory insinuation. </s> Philippines is not 'little brown brother' of U.S. -foreign minister

WASHINGTON, Sept 15 (Reuters) - The Philippines is firmly committed to its alliance with the United States but will not be lectured on human rights and treated like a "little brown brother," the country's Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasay said on Thursday.

Speaking in Washington after recent remarks by the Philippines' outspoken new President Rodrigo Duterte that have strained relations with the United States, Manila's main ally, Yasay said some of Duterte's remarks had been misunderstood.

He said Duterte had explained that his call for the withdrawal of U.S. special forces from the southern Philippines was only a temporary measure to keep them out of harm's way while Philippine forces undertook an offensive against Abu Sayyaf militants.

Yasay also said Duterte's opposition to joint maritime patrols with the United States concerned the Philippines' "exclusive economic zone," not joint patrols within 12 nautical miles of its coast.

The latter patrols, aimed at preserving the territorial integrity of the Philippines, "must continue, because this is our commitment to the United States," Yasay said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.

The Philippines and the United States share concerns about China's pursuit of broad claims in the South China Sea, which overlap with those of Manila and other neighbors.

Washington and Manila agreed earlier this year on joint patrols in the South China Sea and a Pentagon spokesman said three had been conducted from March until July.

Yasay rejected criticism of Duterte's war on drugs, in which thousands have been killed, saying that Philippines would never condone illegal killings, and said relations with Washington should be based on mutual respect.

"I am asking our American friends, American leaders, to look at our aspirations," he said. "We cannot forever be the little brown brothers of America. ... We have to develop, we have to grow and become the big brother of our own people.

"You (have to) manage it correctly. You do not go to the Philippines and say 'I am going to give you something, I am going to help you grow, but this is the check list you must comply with - we will lecture you on human rights'."

Yasay stressed that Duterte was "firmly committed to keep and respect alliances, including that with the United States."

He said Manila was "not at this point in time" prepared to sit down and discuss its territorial disputes with China bilaterally, given that the two sides differed on what the framework for any such discussions should be.

Duterte's abrasive and sometimes contradictory comments, including calling President Obama a "son of a bitch," have caused anxiety in Washington, where the Philippines has been seen as an important ally in standing up to China in Asia.

Yasay did not address testimony in the Philippines senate earlier in the day from a self-confessed hit man who said Duterte issued assassination orders while mayor of a city where activists say hundreds of summary executions took place.

Asked to comment on this testimony, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department, Anna Richey-Allen, reiterated past comments that it was "deeply concerned" by reports of extrajudicial killings "by or at the behest of government authorities."

"We strongly urge the Philippines to ensure its law enforcement efforts comply with its human rights obligations," she said. (Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by James Dalgleish) </s> Philippines is not 'little brown brother' of U.S. -foreign minister

WASHINGTON, Sept 15 (Reuters) - The Philippines is firmly committed to its alliance with the United States but will not be lectured on human rights and treated like a "little brown brother," the country's Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasay said on Thursday.

Speaking in Washington after recent remarks by the Philippines' outspoken new President Rodrigo Duterte that have strained relations with the United States, Manila's main ally, Yasay said some of Duterte's remarks had been misunderstood.

He said Duterte had explained that his call for the withdrawal of U.S. special forces from the southern Philippines was only a temporary measure to keep them out of harm's way while Philippine forces undertook an offensive against Abu Sayyaf militants.

Yasay also said Duterte's opposition to joint maritime patrols with the United States only concerned the Philippines' "exclusive economic zone", not joint patrols within 12 nautical miles.

The latter patrols, aimed at preserving the territorial integrity of the Philippines, "must continue because this is our commitment to the United States," Yasay said at the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank.

The Philippines and the United States share concern about China's pursuit of broad territorial claims in the South China Sea, which overlap with the claims of Manila and other neighbors. Washington and Manila agreed earlier this year on joint patrols in the area.

The minister rejected criticism of Duterte's war on drugs, in which thousands have been killed, and said relations with Washington should be based on mutual respect.

"I am asking our American friends, American leaders, to look at our aspirations," he said. "We cannot forever be the little brown brothers of America. ... We have to develop, we have to grow and become the big brother of our own people.

"You (have to) manage it correctly. You do not go to the Philippines and say 'I am going to give you something; I am going to help you grow, but this is the check list you must comply with - we will lecture you on human rights'."

Yasay stressed that Duterte was "firmly committed to keep and respect alliances, including that with the United States."

He said Manila was "not at this point in time" prepared to sit down and discuss its territorial disputes with China bilaterally, given that the two sides differed on what the framework for any such discussions should be. (Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by James Dalgleish) </s> MANILA (Reuters) - The United States remains the “closest friend” of the Philippines but Manila wants to break away from a “mindset of dependency and subservience” and forge closer ties with other nations, the Philippine foreign minister said on Saturday.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte interacts with reporters during a news conference upon his arrival from a four-day state visit in China at the Davao International Airport in Davao city, Philippines October 21, 2016. REUTERS/Lean Daval Jr.

The comments by Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay came two days after President Rodrigo Duterte announced his “separation” from Washington, though he went on to strike a more conciliatory tone on Friday.

Yasay said in a Facebook posting that Duterte had “unmistakably” stated that severing ties with Washington was not in the nation’s interest.

However, he wrote that separation “implies breaking away from the debilitating mindset of dependency and subservience - economically and militarily - that have perpetuated our ‘little brown brother’ image to America, which has stunted our growth and advancement.”

He said Duterte had told Chinese President Xi Jinping and other Chinese leaders during a visit to Beijing that “if they are not willing to lend their support... the Filipinos will chart their destiny alone, despite great odds.”

Yasay’s posting is the latest sign of an administration once again scrambling to put out fires after Duterte’s stunning declarations, which if delivered upon could upset the geopolitical balance in a region where China and the United States are vying aggressively for influence.

On Friday, Duterte’s economic managers were quick to clarify the Philippines was not cutting economies and trade ties with the United States.

Prior to Duterte taking office in late June, China was a bitter rival of the Philippines, and Manila was one of Washington’s most dependable Asian allies.

Duterte’s efforts to engage China, months after a tribunal in the Hague ruled that Beijing did not have historic rights to the South China Sea in a case brought by the previous administration in Manila, marks a reversal in foreign policy since the 71-year-old former mayor took office on June 30.

“It is not severance of ties. When you say severance of ties, you cut diplomatic relations. I cannot do that,” Duterte told reporters at a midnight news conference in his southern home city of Davao after he arrived from his four-day trip to Beijing.

Duterte’s abrupt pivot from Washington to Beijing is unlikely to be universally popular at home, however. On Tuesday, an opinion poll showed Filipinos still trust the United States far more than China. </s> U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel however warned that growing concern about drug-related killings in the Southeast Asian country was "bad for business".

Russel was the first high-level visitor from Washington after President Rodrigo Duterte provoked alarm last week by announcing his country's "separation" from the United States and realignment with China while on a visit to Beijing.

Explaining Duterte's "Goodbye America" remarks, Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay said on Saturday the United States remained the "closest friend" of the Philippines, but Manila wanted to break away from a "mindset of dependency and subservience" and forge closer ties with other nations.

Russel, speaking to reporters after meeting Yasay, said Duterte "has already walked back".

He said Washington supported direct dialogue and negotiations between the Philippines and China. "So, it's a mistake to think that improved relations between Manila and Beijing somehow come at the expense of the U.S.," he said.

"We don’t want countries to have to choose between the U.S. and China."

During his meeting with the Philippine foreign minister, Russel however said he expressed his concern the "succession of controversial statements, comments and a real climate of uncertainty about the Philippines’ intentions has created consternation in a number of countries".

He added, "This is not a positive trend."

Duterte has been scathing about U.S. criticism of his anti-drugs campaign in which about 2,300 people have been killed since he took office on June 30.

Russel said the United States supported Manila's anti-narcotics campaign, but due process and human rights should not be disregarded.

"The growing uncertainty about this and other issues is bad for business," he said. "This is a very competitive region."

Russel's trip to Manila is part of a three-nation swing through Southeast Asia that also includes Thailand and Cambodia, the U.S. State Department announced on its website. </s> The visit by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affair Daniel Russel is part of a three-nation swing through Southeast Asia that also includes Thailand and Cambodia, the U.S. State Department announced on its website.

Russel arrives as confusion lingers over Manila's ties with Washington, with President Rodrigo Duterte saying on Saturday the United States remains the Philippine's "closest friend", after earlier provoking alarm by announcing his country's "separation" from the United States and realignment with China.

The United States is one of the Philippine's largest trading partners and its closest security ally for about 70 years.

Russel was to meet with Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay, U.S. embassy press attache Molly Koscina told Reuters, without giving details about issues to be discussed.

A Philippine foreign affairs official said Russel and Yasay will discuss the overall bilateral relations of the two allies following Duterte's "separation" statement in China last week.

"The U.S. wants a clarification from the Philippines and what direction the alliance will take," the official told Reuters.

"I think the U.S. is confused. It is getting mixed signals from Manila," the Philippine official said, requesting anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Russel is expected to stay in Manila until Tuesday to meet with government officials and have lunch with Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) participants, before leaving for Thailand.

He will be in Thailand until Wednesday to convey his condolences on the passing of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej and meet with Thai officials to discuss bilateral relations and regional issues.

From Thailand, he will fly to Cambodia to meet with government and opposition party officials, civil society organizations, and address a group of YSEALI members. </s> WASHINGTON (AP) — The Philippines' top diplomat said Thursday it still regards the U.S. as a trusted ally but will not accept lectures on human rights as a condition for receiving American help.

Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay said, "We cannot ... forever be the little brown brothers of America," as he appealed for mutual respect between the allied nations.

Yasay sought to reassure an audience at a Washington think tank about Manila's commitment to positive relations with the United States, its former colonial power.

His address came amid strains in the relationship because of recent remarks by the Southeast Asian nation's new president, Rodrigo Duterte, who has waged a bloody war on the drug trade that has been criticized by the U.S. More than 3,000 suspected drug users and dealers have been killed since he assumed the presidency in June.

Last week, President Barack Obama canceled a formal meeting with Duterte at a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders after he used the phrase "son of a bitch" in warning that he wouldn't accept lectures from Obama on human rights.

Yasay said the Philippine government would never condone unlawful killings. He said the Philippines shared the U.S. goal for full respect of human rights. He said Filipinos had fully understood about the sanctity of human life since before it was a U.S. colony and that was at the core of its struggle for independence.

"You do not go to the Philippines and say, 'I'm going to give you something, I'm going to help you develop and I'm going to help you grow but these are the checklist(s) that you must comply with. We will lecture you on human rights'," he told the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Yasay did not comment on testimony Thursday by a former Filipino militiaman before the Philippine Senate that Duterte, when he was still a city mayor, ordered him and other members of a liquidation squad to kill criminals and opponents in gangland-style assaults that left about 1,000 dead.

Yasay also sought to tamp down U.S. concern about statements from Duterte in the past week that suggested an intent to scale back in the U.S.-Philippine security alliance.

He said the Philippines is committed to a defense cooperation agreement signed by the previous government that will give the U.S. access to five Philippine military bases.

And while Duterte has taken steps to repair relations with China, Yasay also said Manila will only discuss their territorial dispute in the South China Sea with Beijing on the basis of a recent international tribunal ruling, supported by Washington. The tribunal found in Manila's favor and invalidated the legal basis of China's expansive claims.

But Yasay confirmed the Philippines does not want to undertake joint patrols with the U.S. beyond its territorial waters in disputed waters near the South China Sea — a step taken by the last government. </s> (CNN) Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has clarified his comments that seemed to call for a split from the United States , saying he was advocating a "separation of foreign policy" rather than "a severance of ties."

Addressing a press conference in Davao City after his return from a state visit to China, Duterte said:

"It is not severance of ties. You say severance of ties, you cut the diplomatic relations. I cannot do that.

"Why? It is in the best interest of my country that we maintain that relationship. Why? Because there are many Filipinos in the United States. Well, Americans of Filipino ancestry.

"Why? Because the people of my country [are] not ready to accept. I said separation -- what I was really saying was separation of a foreign policy. "

"America has lost now. I've realigned myself in your ideological flow," Duterte told business leaders Thursday in Beijing.

"And maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world: China, Philippines and Russia. It's the only way."

In a statement Friday, Duterte's office said the Philippines had no intention to renege on treaties or agreements with allies.

The President's comments were "an assertion that we are an independent and sovereign nation, now finding common ground with friendly neighbors with shared aspirations in the spirit of mutual respect, support and cooperation," the statement said.

Trade Minister Ramon Lopez told CNN that the Philippines "would not stop trade and investment with the US."

"(Duterte) has decided to strengthen further and rekindle the ties with China and the ASEAN region," Lopez said, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest described Duterte's comments as "personal," "offensive" and "confusing."

The US Embassy in Manila blasted Duterte's comments as "creating unnecessary uncertainty."

"We've seen a lot of this sort of troubling rhetoric recently, which is inexplicably at odds with the warm relationship that exists between the Filipino and American people and the record of important cooperation between our two governments," embassy spokeswoman Molly Koscina said in a statement.

The United States will honor its alliance commitments and treaty obligations, and expects the Philippines to do the same, she added.

Beijing rejected a recent international court ruling in Manila's favor and has long called for bilateral negotiations in which other parties do not participate.

In a statement, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs praised Duterte's willingness to address "territorial and jurisdictional disputes by peaceful means ... through friendly consultations and negotiations by sovereign states directly concerned."

In Manila, many greeted the news with shock.

"Maybe he's only joking," saleswoman Marisa Laguitan, 59, said.

"America is very friendly and a very long (term) friend of Filipinos."

Ian Duly, 34, said he had nothing against the United States, but "it's about time for a change."

"I believe in Duterte," he added. "It's about standing up for your people."

Speaking to CNN Philippines, one call center worker worried about the effect the move could have on her industry.

"What if BPOs disappear in the Philippines? We won't have a job," she said, referring to business process outsourcing.

Lopez, the trade minister, dismissed concerns that Duterte's shift would endanger the country's economy.

"What we are saying is that there will be less dependence just on one side of the world," he told CNN.

"As you know, we have been strong partners with the US so it's basically just trying to balance the partnership and also strengthening this side of the world, specifically with China."

He said Duterte was pursuing an independent and "more sovereign" foreign policy, adding that the US-Philippines relationship was strong and "cannot just be eliminated."

Duterte's opponents at home were damning, however.

"(He) has a really inflated, if not delusional, view of himself as a strongman at the level of China and Russia's leadership," Sen. Leila de Lima, a longtime Duterte, said in a statement.

Former Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario warned of cozying up to a country such as China that doesn't share "our core values of democracy (and) respect for human rights."

"Casting aside a longtime reliable ally to hastily embrace an aggressive neighbor that vehemently rejects international law is both unwise and incomprehensible," he said in a statement.
Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay states that the United States remains our "closest friend," but that the Philippines wants to break away and forge closer ties with other nations.