gradenko_2000 posted:

Duterte campaigned on "we're totes going to beat China", even as there were allegations and rumors about his campaign being funded by Chinese businessmen, so Duterte cozying up to China after years of sentiment heavily resenting Chinese aggressiveness (which sometimes turns ugly racist and xenophobic) doesn't play well with the public.

Some of his public supporters continue to cling to "this is the US's fault for criticizing us, so Duterte is justified in approaching China instead", or even "this is the media's fault for misrepresenting the Philippines to the point where the US is abandoning us, so Duterte is justified in approaching China instead", but this is going to be a losing issue for him, not the least of which is because it exposes the Foreign Secretary and the Press Secretary as either being incompetent, or unaligned with the President, or both as they keep having to deflect Duterte's ramblings.