Malacañang on Monday assured the public that President Rodrigo Duterte’s realigned foreign policy would not be at the expense of millions of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the United States and American businesses in the country.
In a press briefing, presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella reiterated that Duterte’s announced “separation” from the US was not equivalent to a severance of ties, as clarified by the President himself.
“Let me just clarify that…It’s basically a separation from dependency… Again it’s a restatement of the independent foreign policy that the President has declared again and again. But there are no ties that are being broken,” Abella said, when asked how Duterte’s remarks would affect Filipinos in the US and American businesses here.
“There’s no need to be pulling out any business in the country and OFWs will not be affected,” he added.
OFWs and the BPO sector are two of the country’s biggest growth drivers. The US is home to over five million Filipinos—the largest Filipino population outside the Philippines—whose remittances contribute significantly to the Philippine economy.
Abella made the clarification as business process outsourcing groups sought a meeting with Duterte “to discuss the industry’s situation” following the President’s “separation” pronouncement.
READ: Jittery BPOs knock on Duterte’s door
About 77 percent of IT and business process management (IT-BPM) companies in the country are dependent on American companies and clients.
“BPO groups are trying to seek an audience with the President. We have not yet receive a formal appointment, but basically it is to formally reach out and discuss the industry’s situation from the government. But basically it is to reassure the industries that separation is not severance of relationships and economic ties,” Abella said.
In his state visit in China, Duterte declared his “separation” with the United States “both in the military and economics.” But the President later clarified that his remark did not mean severance of diplomatic ties, but a realignment of foreign policy not dependent on America.
Duterte said “it is to the best interest of the country that we maintain that relationship.” JE
RELATED STORIES
‘Time to say goodbye,’ Duterte tells US during visit to China
Duterte says he won’t sever ties with US