Duterte pivot to China to save PH

DAVAO CITY—Donald Trump as US president? No problem, if you ask the country’s chief economist, who yesterday said President Duterte’s pivot to China would save the Philippines from relying on a country “in trouble.”

Foreign businessmen, however, were worried about Trump’s protectionist tendencies, which might impact on the country’s business process outsourcing (BPO) sector.

Asked on the sidelines of the Philippines Development Forum how a Trump win would impact on the Philippine economy, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto M. Pernia said: “We have a safety net which was foreseen by the President. He foresaw—he’s [President Duterte] a clairvoyant—there’s this likelihood of Trump becoming US president. So he decided to pivot to China instead of depending on the US.”