I wonder if Duterte has ever heard the phrase “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.”?
The Filipino answer would be that if you want me to make your enemies my enemies, give me an ironclad assurance that youve got my back. Like, for instance, a whole lot of military aid.
The US and the other Asians have been telling Manila to build up vs China for nearly a decade now, but they have helped very little.