Filipino mission signs condemnation despite Palace neutrality
The Philippines on Monday voted to adopt the United Nations General Assembly resolution expressing its condemnation of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last week.
But just hours earlier, the Palace said the Philippines will remain “neutral” and will not join other nations in condemning Russia’s unprovoked invasion of its eastern neighbor and fellow former Soviet republic.
Acting presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles said an official statement would come from Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr., while President Duterte will speak about the country’s stand on the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.
Former Foreign Affairs secretary Albert del Rosario had called on the government and Filipinos to express their support for Ukraine, and to call on Russia to respect the sovereignty of Ukraine and the rule of law.
Ambassador Del Rosario, who is chairman of policy think tank Stratbase ADR Institute, disagreed with the position of the Philippine government to stay neutral in the Ukraine-Russia crisis.
“The world is moving. Leaders are speaking out. Nations are uniting in their collective call to stop the war. But as peace-loving individuals, where are we in this struggle to do what is right?” Del Rosario said.
Duterte is a friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who last week ordered the invasion of its European neighbor, claiming its actions are justified because it is defending Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Duterte, who has made two official trips to Russia since becoming president in 2016, has referred to Putin as his “idol.”
“The President is the chief architect of our foreign policy, so we either hear it from the Secretary of Foreign Affairs or the President himself,” Nograles said.
But in its statement at the emergency special session of the UN General Assembly on Ukraine, the Philippine mission voted “Yes to the UNGA resolution and expresses explicit condemnation of the invasion of Ukraine.”
In voting for the adoption of the UN resolution, the Philippines cited the principle of sovereignty and the “sovereign equality of States, (which) is enshrined in the United Nations Charter.”
The Philippines said that no one can trust news reports of casualties on either side but 14,000 have been killed since 2014, when separatists in two eastern Ukraine republics revolted against Kiev.
“In the current fog of lies, we have yet to determine the true casualties on both sides,” Manila’s delegation said in the statement posted on the Department of Foreign Affairs website.
Manila called for the protection of civilians and public infrastructures but asserted the need for a ceasefire for both countries.
“We especially condemn the use of separatism and secession as a weapon of diplomacy for inviting and inflicting terrible cruelties and indiscriminate killings far in excess of that of any other kind of conflict. We saw this in the Balkans and in Africa,” the Philippines said.
“We call for massive assistance commensurate with the growing humanitarian crisis and echo the UN Secretary General’s appeal for respect of humanitarian principles to protect civilians and civilian infrastructures in Ukraine. Safe access to humanitarian assistance must be assured by the most effective means,” it added.
The Philippines also urged Moscow and Kiev to observe compliance of the 1982 Manila Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of International Disputes.
“It will at least halt the ongoing tragedy for a while,” the country’s UN mission stressed.
Earlier, the Department of National Defense (DND) said the Philippines remains neutral over the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
“For us, we’ll closely watch what’s happening there and be prepared. We will be neutral,” Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said.
He earlier sparked controversy when he said the Philippines doesn’t care about what will happen in a faraway country such as Ukraine—but later dialed back his statement.
The DFA, meanwhile, has focused on repatriation of Filipinos in Ukraine.
Del Rosario, its former head under the Benigno Aquino III administration, said this is now the time for the Philippines and Filipinos to register their opposition to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“Now is the time to be counted. Now is the time for our voice to be heard. This is not a matter just for governments or leaders. Surely, individuals have a voice, and we can and should speak out,” he said.
“This is one way of letting Ukrainians feel they are not alone, and at the same time letting Russia know what and how the rest of the world feels about the invasion,” Del Rosario added.
Analysts Prof. Bobby Tuazon of CenPEG think tank, Prof. Rommel Banlaoi, Anna Malindog-Uy and Herman Laurel of Phil BRICS Strategic Institute, and Prof. Leomil Aportadera said the Ukraine crisis emphasizes the importance of strengthening the country’s independent foreign policy and not being drawn into superpower rivalries.
At a forum Monday, they expressed support for the government’s neutral stance and said Russia had “valid national security concerns and demands.” They did not say, however, if they felt this justified Russia’s invasion of a sovereign state.
Also on Monday, Senator Francis Tolentino urged the government’s economic and security clusters to beef up measures in anticipation of the impending socioeconomic impact of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) as well as the National Security Council (NSC), Tolentino said, should devise a game plan to somehow avert or lessen the impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which will likely trigger higher global inflation in the coming weeks.