page_title: Presidency of Rodrigo Duterte
section_title: United States
hierarchical_section_title: Presidency of Rodrigo Duterte / Foreign policy / United States
caption_attribution_description: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry shakes hands with Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte on July 27, 2016, in the Malacañang Palace in Manila, Philippines, before the two held a working lunch. [State Department Photo/Public Domain]
context_page_description: The presidency of Rodrigo Duterte began at noontime of June 30, 2016 following his inauguration as the 16th President of the Philippines, succeeding Benigno Aquino III. His term is expected to end at noontime of June 30, 2022.
  Duterte is the first president from Mindanao and the oldest person to be elected president of the Philippines. He is also the first Philippine president to have worked in the three branches of the government. Duterte was the mayor of Davao City at the time of his 2016 presidential election victory, garnering over 16 million votes or about 39% of total votes, beating his closest rival by over 6.6 million votes. Duterte's approval rating has been relatively high throughout his presidency despite criticism and international opposition to his anti-narcotics drive.
  Duterte started a nationwide campaign to rid the country of crime, and corruption, and illegal drugs. The war on drugs saw about 6,600 persons linked to the illegal drug trade killed as of July 2019. Duterte campaigned to restore the death penalty in the Philippines. However, the law reinstating the death penalty stalled in the Senate in April 2017, where it did not appear to have enough votes to pass.
context_section_description: On September 12, 2016, Duterte said that he is "not a fan of the Americans" and that he wants to "reorient" foreign policy with the United States. He requested that U.S. forces in Mindanao should leave the Philippines, specifically those who are part of the Operation Enduring Freedom, saying that it would "inflame the situation with the Abu Sayyaf". Duterte said on September 13 that he does not plan to cut ties with the United States, but wants to reiterate the administration's pursuit of an "independent foreign policy" in accordance with the Constitution; the administration will continue to honor mutual agreements like the Visiting Forces Agreement and the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement. On September 20, Duterte said: "I never said get out of the Philippines, for after all, we need them there in the China Sea. We don't have armaments."
  On September 27, Duterte vowed not to allow the U.S. government to interfere with the policies of his administration. He criticized the U.S. government for "lecturing" his administration on human rights amidst their campaign on illegal drugs and said that he will "cross the Rubicon with the U.S." Duterte added that he plans to forge "new alliances" with China and Russia in trade and commerce. U.S. Department of State deputy spokesperson Mark Toner responded to Duterte's criticisms by saying that the Philippine–U.S. relations could still remain "strong and unabated" despite Duterte's criticisms. The following day, while addressing the Filipino community in Hanoi, Duterte said that the Balikatan military exercises and the joint naval patrols in the South China Sea between the Philippines and the U.S. in October would be "its last" in order to avoid provoking conflict with China.
  On October 5, Duterte accused the U.S. of refusing to sell armaments to the Philippines and said that he would rather purchase armaments from China and Russia. In an attempt to repair relations with the U.S., Duterte's Defense Secretary, Delfin Lorenzana, said Duterte was "misinformed" about the U.S. alliance: "Maybe, the defense ministry and the armed forces were remiss in providing him the correct information."
  On October 6, Duterte's then-Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. denounced the idea of the Philippines being regarded as a "little brown brother" by the U.S. Yasay said that the Philippines had been "failed" by the U.S.
  On October 20, while on a trip to Beijing, Duterte declared a "separation" from the United States which he stated had lost militarily, socially, and economically, and emphasized a realignment of the Philippines to move closer to China. During a press conference after arriving from Beijing, Duterte clarified that what he meant by "separation" was a "separation of a foreign policy" and not a severance of diplomatic ties, saying that it would not be feasible to cut diplomatic ties with the U.S. due to the large number of Filipino Americans. U.S. Department of State spokesperson John Kirby responded by saying: "We are going to be seeking an explanation of exactly what the president meant when he talked about separation from the U.S.; it's not clear what that means and all its ramifications." On October 23, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel R. Russel traveled to Manila to seek clarification and explanation for Duterte's comments with Philippine officials, including Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana.
  On November 7, Secretary Lorenzana clarified that the joint Balikatan exercises will continue along with the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, but the Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training amphibious landing exercises between the Philippine Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy would be discontinued. He specified that bilateral drills on counter-terrorism, humanitarian response, special operations, engineering projects, and civic action will remain, all of which have been approved by Duterte.
  Following the 2016 U.S. presidential election, Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar offered 
caption: Duterte with then U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, July 26, 2016
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