Anxiety in Manila as Duterte Blasts U.S., Embraces China
- American business chamber inundated with messages of concern
- Duterte hoping fallout will be offset by Chinese investment
The Popular President Hating on Obama, UN, and the Pope
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During long hours stuck in Manila’s choking traffic, taxi driver Maning Yabut constantly hears about the anxieties of Filipinos from all walks of life. These days, the talk is all about whether President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-U.S. outbursts are good for the Philippines.
Particularly concerned, he said, are those with close links to America, such as the call-center workers at the heart of the $20-billion business-process outsourcing industry. Maning’s own sister moved to the U.S. and is now part of the 3.5 million-strong Filipino-American community there.