Ni ARGYLL CYRUS B. GEDUCOS
Hindi napag-usapan ang usapin ng karapatang pantao at mga kaso ng umano’y extrajudicial killings (EJKs) sa bansa sa bilateral meeting kahapon nina Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte at United States President Donald Trump.
Ayon kay Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, prangka at diretso ang 40-minutong pag-uusap ng dalawang presidente, na kapwa nagpahayag ng determinasyong paigtingin pa ang ugnayan ng Pilipinas at Amerika.
Classic movie ‘Ipaglaban Mo!’, ipinalabas ng CCP bilang kampanya vs VAWC
“President Trump specifically said that he has always been a friend of the Duterte administration unlike the previous administrations of the United States,” sabi ni Roque. “But he [Trump] stressed that he can be counted upon as a friend of the Duterte administration.”
Sinabi rin ni Roque na hindi tinalakay ng dalawang lider ang isyu ng human rights, gaya ng inaasahan ni Pangulong Duterte.
“The issue of human rights did not arise, it was not brought up. It was President Duterte who discussed with US President Trump the drug menace in the Philippines,” sabi ni Roque. “The US President appeared sympathetic and did not have any official position on the matter. He was merely nodding his head, indicating that he understood the domestic problem that we face on drugs.”
MAGKATALIWAS
Gayunman, iniulat ng Reuters na sinabi ng tagapagsalita ng White House, si Sarah Sanders, na nabanggit “briefly” ang usapin sa karapatang pantao sa nasabing bilateral meeting.
“The conversation focused on ISIS (Islamic State), illegal drugs, and trade. Human rights briefly came up in the context of the Philippines’ fight against illegal drugs,” iniulat ng Reuters na sinabi ni Sanders.
Personal ding pinasalamatan ni Duterte si Trump at ang mga Amerikano sa tulong na ipinagkaloob ng Amerika upang matuldukan na ang krisis sa Marawi, partikular sa larangan ng komunikasyon.
KALAKALAN
Tinalakay din ng dalawang lider ang tungkol sa kalakalan.
“The Philippines expressed a view that they’re appreciative of the general system of preference, and suggested that free trade agreement (FTA) also be concluded between the US and the Philippines,” sabi ni Roque, ipinaliwanag na ito ay dahil saklaw lamang ng FTA ng Amerika ang Vietnam at Japan.
“President Trump said they will study the matter,” ani Roque.
Ayon pa kay Roque, posibleng bumuo ng hakbangin ang Pilipinas at Amerika upang mabawasan ang trade deficit sa pagitan ng dalawang bansa.
Kasabay nito, binigyang-diin ni Trump ang malapit na ugnayan ng Pilipinas at Amerika, at sinabing nag-e-enjoy siya sa pananatili niya sa bansa.
ENJOY SI TRUMP
“We’ve had a great relationship. This has been very successful. We have many meetings today with many leaders,” sabi ni Trump. “The ASEAN conferences have been handled beautifully by the President of the Philippines and your representatives.”
Sinabi ni Trump na partikular siyang nag-enjoy sa ASEAN 50th Anniversary Special Gala Dinner nitong Linggo ng gabi, at pinuri ang husay at talento ng mga nagtanghal para sa world leaders.
“We very much appreciate the great treatment that you have given. I thought last night’s event was fantastic,” sabi ni Trump. “Tremendous talent. Most of them [the performers], I guess, [are] from the Philippines. Tremendous talent—musical talent, dance talent. We really had a tremendous time, all of the leaders.
“So in behalf, I think, of the leaders and everybody, I want to thank you and I want to thank the Philippines,” patuloy pa niya. “Thank you very much. I enjoy being here.”
Sa nasabing Gala dinner, napakanta pa ni Trump si Duterte ng “Ikaw”.
