Inside Philippine politics & beyond

President Duterte himself announced in June he was sending Arthur Tugade to China

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By Raïssa Robles

just-for-the-record-thumbTransport Secretary Art Tugade has vehemently denied going to China in June this year, as departing US Ambassador Philip Goldberg alleged, in order to pave the way for the signing of billions of dollars worth of investments in China.

Tugade, now in Japan with President Rodrigo Duterte, sent the following text to Rappler and to Nic Gabunada:

art-tugade-no-china-visit-oct-26-16

I was curious to find out if Goldberg had indeed made a serious mistake when he told ANC:

“I actually wasn’t all that surprised [about the huge deals sealed in China]. I do know that the Chinese Ambassador and others in the Chinese business community were visiting [then] President-elect Duterte quite often in the month of June,” Goldberg said.

“I also know, and I don’t think this has been revealed publicly, but I know, that Senator Cayetano, President Duterte’s running mate, made an unpublicized trip to China in June along with Secretary Tugade. All of this actually were in train, I think. There were already discussions going on.”

“I don’t think Senator Cayetano’s role was fully known publicly but he was actually starting this process way back June.”

Cayetano has since acknowledged that he did go to China, but not with Tugade.

But Tugade has denied it.

Could the US Embassy with its vast resources have committed such a terrible faux pas?

So I googled it.

At first, nothing came out. But after a time, reports from two well-known pro-Duterte sites came out. Both trendtitan.com and philnews.ph reported exactly the same quote from Duterte:

“Art Tugade has to go to China, not to talk about war, not to talk about irritations there, but to talk about peace.”

You can read the entire report by clicking here.

And here.

A foreign news website – msn.com – carried the same news:

In the same event, Duterte said incoming Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade will head to China to discuss the railway projects.

“Art Tugade has to go to China not to talk about war, not to talk about relations there, but to talk about peace and how they can help us,” he said.

Duterte also said China has pledged to support the Manila-Bicol and Manila-Batangas railways.

“They have not asked for anything because at that time I was not comfortable to discuss,” he said.

You can read the entire report by clicking here.

ABS-CBN had also tweeted on Twitter:

art-tugade-china-june-21-16

The website of local radio station bomboradyo also posted the same on its website:

Tugade biyaheng China para sa PH railways

By Bombo Reymund Tinaza

Posted in Top Stories Wednesday, 22 June 2016 07:37

Nakatakdang ipapadala umano ni incoming President Rodrigo Duterte si presumptive Transportation Sec. Art Tugade sa China sa lalong madaling panahon.

Sinabi ni Duterte na biyaheng China si Tugade para hindi makipag-away o pag-usapan ang West Philippine Sea kundi para pag-usapan ang kapayapaan at pangakong railways system ng China sa Pilipinas.

Ayon kay Duterte, kabilang sa pangako ng Chinese ambassador sa kanya ay pagtatayo ng railways mula Manila papuntang Clark at Tutuban papuntang Bicol region.

Malaya naman daw ang mga kaharap na negosyante na sumali sa bidding pero kung hindi kayang tapatan ang nasabing offer, ibibigay nito ang kontrata sa China.

You can read the entire report by clicking here.
So did tribune.net.ph –

DU30’s transport chief bound for China for pledged railway project

Written by Tribune Wires Thursday, 23 June 2016
By Joyce Ann L. Rocamora

Incoming Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) Secretary Arthur “Art” Tugade is bound for China to discuss agreements on the railway project that has been promised by China to the next President Rodrigo Duterte.

This stated agreement between China and the Philippines apparently had already been promised by China, but which neither Duterte nor Tugade, nor even the presidential spokesman nor the Presidential Communications Office chief, Martin Andanar, bared to the media which appears to belie the Duterte claim of a transparent government.
As of now no detailed information on this reported project is available but the railway projects are reported to be built within routes of Manila-Bicol and Manila-Batangas.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) through a text message said they can’t confirm anything yet, saying they “are not privy to the meeting with the Chinese Ambassador so (they) can’t comment on it.”
In a business forum in Davao Tuesday, Duterte also said that China has not yet stated its demands, “they have not asked for anything because at that time I was not comfortable to discuss the issue,” he said.

You can read the entire report by clicking here.

Mayor Duterte, please disclose what you told Chinese officials about the South China Sea →

So, did Tugade actually go to China?

Perhaps Tugade’s China trip did not push through in June, as Duterte had announced.

Perhaps it pushed through a bit later.

To my mind, the news reports from the month of June actually have some interesting implications.

This means, Duterte was already entertaining China’s overtures even before the decision of the Arbitral Court on the South China Sea dispute had come out. The Court decision came out on July 12.

In June, Duterte had already been proclaimed the winner of the presidency but had not yet been sworn into office.

Even at that time, Duterte was keenly aware that he had to navigate a dangerous path. If the Philippines won the arbitration suit, China might vent its anger on Manila. If the Philippines lost, China might pounce on more Philippine-owned features in the West Philippine Sea.

But why is Tugade denying the trip to China? Why not just say he went later, but not in June? Or he sent someone else.

And THAT needs further explanation, why suddenly, the Duterte government is so defensive about this.

Comments

  1. How can our government deal with China’s company barred by the World Bank?
    Is our government stupid enough to pursue the deals? We are better off deals with Japanese at least we know the products are not cheap and Japanese technology is credited enough compare to China, that everything they do is so cheap.
    What is with Duterte letting those Chinese in West Philippine Sea instead of kicking them out there, and the funny thing is he went to CHina to beg the Chinese Government for our fisherman to fish in the territory that is rightfully ours as awarded by UN Tribunal. I think Duterte needs a psychiatric evaluation.
    He kept on changing what he is saying, keep on promising one thing and do another thing. And lately mentioned that he talked to God and promised he will not curse and swear anymore. hehehehe

    • could be continuation of what japan previously promised, and honoring the deal made. gotta invest in pinas if japan wants to be relevant in asean affairs, else japan will only be bystander and have no say in anything going on in pinas. gotta have a foot in the door.

  3. PDu30 is not the main problem but the lies. And the lies come not only from PDu30 but from the alliance composed of kleptocrats (Marcoses, Arroyo plus supporters) and the ever ambitious opportunist left backed by a resource hungry, land grabbing superpower.

    It is the lies and the falsehoods that we allow and do not challenge that become our chains.

    If we are going to defend our freedom, we should heed what Beachbum said: “Truth is the key to freedom”. This truism has been said before – “the truth shall set you free” and should have been reminded to us constantly by our religious leaders but that is not happening now.

    Let us not get distracted by the madness of the leader but let us constantly resist and expose the lies that he and his partners inflict on us.

    It is the truth and only the truth that will set us free.

    • truth can make you lose your freedom, it can give you powerful enemies as well, a currency to others, commodity to some.

      if you want to divest or tell the truth, make sure you approach the right person, or agency. plan ahead, and dont trust the polis, dont trust vacc too. they’re tainted and compromised.

    • I am with you on this. What really gets to me is that Duterte and his minions continue to insult my intelligence, the intelligence of the Filipino people! Blatant lies and lack of transparency are the only constant in this administration!

  4. Bad news from US to Duterte

    Presidential election will soon be over
    Trump winning is good antidote for Dterte. US Bad mouth thing will be answered with filthiest response.

    Clinton winning is neither good news for Duterte. Promised sec of State is VP Joe Biden, a no nonsense no holds barred personality tougher and more brazen than Trump. He’s from Scranton Pennsylvania where Mafia musclemen were reared. He went to nursery school with baseball bat in his bag rather than crayons and pencils.

    Days of tough Duterte against US are numbered

    He he he

    • digong said in 2yrs, there will no foreign troops in pinas. but if chinese soldiers are on pinas soil, I guess, they’re not foreign, kadugo kasi nila si digong.

      • Chinese will not be on foreign soil because by then, they would have considered the Philipines an extension of China — thanks to Duterte

  5. Latest News
    Duterte says China and Russia can help Philippines survive without US foreign aid.
    It’s like changing beggar location strategic point from Quiapo to Divisoria. Being a thief, it’s better in Divisoria.

    Nothing unusual on Duterte mentality being advised by incompetent cabinet secretaries. They went to China without doing their homework.

    those who went with Duterte to China have con mentality proven by the fact that they signed contracts with known swindlers banned by World Bank.

    • Its easier to make side “personal deals” with swindlers but the question is who is being swindled hehehe

      • so many nations are in china, maybe outdoing one another trying to make and secure business deals. god knows how many corners they have to cut and undercut just to secure chinese deals.

        often, it could be take it, or leave it, as china can afford to pick and choose which country/ies to favor, the country/ies that can give china the best deal which does not necessarily mean the best deal for said country/ies.

        maybe the good chinese firms are all taken, leaving us the banned and the unscrupulous ones. and digong’s entourage fearing of nothing to show for their expensive trip that cost millions, kumapit sa patalim. they must have foreseen this, and had prepared themselves for any eventualities. they’re businessmen after all. kung nagkasundo sila, albeit treasonously, and hoped to get away with bad deal, aba, they should be held to account.

        • Treason… oh.. damn… what are you waiting for… sue Digong and held him accountable for this unscrupulous deals. The whole Cyber Plaza Miranda will be supporting you to protest in the real Plaza Miranda…

          China and the Philippines should follow the standards of US led World Bank. If they are banned by World Bank, they should never be involve in any projects even if it don’t use World Bank money… better… never do business ever until World Bank accredited them again..

          The audacity of these chinese company doing business deals with other country even though they are banned by WB… they really don’t know shame…

          tsk.. tsk… tsk…

      • yong feasibility studies na gagawin kuno ng banned chinese firm, the study may have already been done. this firm must have done so many feasibility studies before, the studies and blueprint kept in secure vault, for future use and reference.

        when time comes, and being unscrupulous, all they have to do is pull out the one study that looks likely. data is easy to adjust, a few tweaks here and there, and viola! feasibility study pure and simple, fast too. but, we’ll be charged the full price of said study, kahit cut and paste yan from the previous.

    • Its Chinese money, not World Bank money… Just like in any other ODA, the source gets to pick who will implement the project. Its the same for everyone… Japan picks japanese company, S.Korea picks SK company, World Bank picks a WB accredited company and in this case China picks a chinese company. Whether you hate Duterte or not… the $24B deal from China and $19B deal from Japan is the biggest investment of all the President of the Philippines.

      The only issues to be discuss is whether the project is needed and advantageous to us, correctly price and up to standard on delivery. Making a fuzz on companies black listed by WB(US led bank) on a Chinese funded project is non-sense.

  7. In four moths of Duterte’s administration, change has really come:
    – from a culture of life, dignity respect, forgiveness and other christian values to a culture fo death, violation of human rights, disrespect, cussing, and other “disvalues”;
    – from compassion and mercy to hatred and revenge;
    – from US, EU, UN friendly alliances and cooperation to Chinese supremacy;
    – from globalization to isolation;
    – from friendly ties to the community of nations to ties to countries the matter only to Duterte;
    – from close collaboration with the church to paving the way to communism;
    – from 21st century progressive thinking to regression to 20th century mentality;
    – from an independent Congress to a subservient legislative body.

    More changes are forthcoming that will probably take us to the dark ages. I pray this will not happen.

    • “Military dictatorship is born from the power of the gun, and so it undermines the concept of the rule of law and gives birth to a culture of might, a culture of weapons, violence and
      intolerance”
      Benazir Bhutto

      The Philippines is a collective culture, politically immature, with no party system, weak institutions, and an electorate who place personality above policy, and feudal allegiances above national cohesion – A recipe for political instability, economic inequality, and social fragmentation.

      Duterte has made it ‘more FUN in The Philippines’ – Fear, Uncertaintly, Negativity.
      Bullets have now replaced ideas, and innovation is drowning in a sea of depression.

      The result is a climate which is hardly conducive to attracting investments, businessmen, or tourists, (except chinese), and a culture which will not develop creativity, collaboration, or confidence.
      Oppression in place of inspiration, and intimidation instead of innovation.

      The servant leader likes to listen to people
      The master tyrant just likes to kill them.

      Someone needs to tell duterte that 1970’s student thinking, and cliches, have no place in the 21st century.
      A refuge for faux intellectuals.
      Relics without a clue, trying to be rebels with a cause.
      Where have these guys been living for the past 40 years? Davao – ah, that explains the naivete, and the uncultured behaviour.

      “A mind is like a parachute – it works best when it is open”
      Frank Zappa

      • Absolutely agree on what you said.

        Just wondering with majority of the GenM who voted for Pduts. Old school managers are a lot different from the present crop of managers. And so with Univ or college professors. Professors and managers now work with their staff/students on a collaborative fashion, the environment is more open to suggestion and feedback, and there is more to a mentor/student relationship than the terroristic type or “do as I say” management.

        But they voted this barriotic of a president.

        • The Philippines must become fit for business, fit for competition, fit for growth, and fit for the future, or forfeit opportunity.

          Politicians need to go through a leadership bootcamp to raise their standards of professionalism and align their cultural thinking with the current aspirations of the people and needs of the future generation.
          ‘Train the trainers’, empower the millenials, with more emphasis upon creating an innovative economy, rather than being at the end of the tail, or just a low cost labor pool with low productivity and a copy-cat mentality.
          A rent seeking economy combined with trickle down policies will never achieve inclusive growth.

          Ideas makes money and start-ups create the jobs.
          (As an MBA holder from a global top 5 business school i am appalled at the low standard of management and courses in The Philippines – i don’t think any ‘professor’ has created a start up, or sat on an international corporate board. MBA should not be about producing ‘More Boring Accountants’, and not about book theory, but about real world experience)

          Currently it is a bunch of misfits who are constraining potential, not developing it.
          The mismatch will create even more of a divided nation and risk being an also ran in the ASEAN league table.

          Culture eats strategy for breakfast, and the competition is ready to take your lunch, so it is not the US who are responsible for the left-over crumbs, but those who have not taken advantage of, or looked for, available opportunities, and who have not moved with the times, simply been a passenger on the bandwagon of self-interest.

          Duterte and his pals are still using quill pens in the age of smartphones – stupid is as stupid does. Whiners not winners.

        • @beachbum,

          You may be right in your observation about the low standard of management courses in our country and I think this is due to a culture of mediocrity which is obsessed with form, not substance.

          But I think French Baker which is a successful food enterprise in the country was started by a former business ‘professor’.

          I once asked a couple of lecturer/consultants whose supposed expertise is on doing business and management why don’t they apply their knowledge to start their own business or start their own social enterprises. I did not get a convincing reply but something along the line that doing business is risky and they do not have sufficient capital yet. But they do make a handsome living – thanks to foreign funding by naïve governments- encouraging other people to get into business.

        • There are multiple opportunities to improve quality without cost.
          Guest lecturers from business leaders
          A regional perspective
          Past MBA students acting as mentirs for new students
          Real life projects in local community
          Enter global business competitions/simulated business games.
          Free courses for ‘high flyers’
          Modular management training
          Greater use/awareness of free apps/publications
          Use of MOOC’s (mass on-line open courses), and TED lectures
          National initiatives on use of standards – ISO, IIP (investor in people), quality management/baldrige, kaizen/six sigma
          Regional centers of excellence and start up hubs
          Business plan competitions
          Greater links between business, academe, local/national govt.
          A focus upon creativity, not rote learning
          Etc..
          The list is endless.
          The biggest opportunity is to partner with overseas universities which nearly all other ASEAN countries now do.
          Vietnam has partnered with Finland for a new national innovation program ( finland always comes number 1 in innovation), and vietnam has a clear and cohesive strategy so no surprise it is the darling of investors. It will be ahead of the philippines in 2 years, if not already.

          French baker does have high standards. Quality counts, and sells.

        • No country will partner with Philippines ünder exchange programs (students, cultural, security, education. Etc) because under Duterte every successful program is imperiled.
          Case in point: San Francisco police Dept cancelled exchange training program with PNP due to Duterte directive.

  8. How does Alan Peter Cayetano reconcile his continuing support of Duterte and his participation as Chair of the Philippine Caucus of the Israel Allies Foundation?

    Isn’t it another indication of Cayetano trying to exploit something out of both worlds – “namamangka sa dalawang ilog”, so to speak?

    • rowing in 2 rivers, caught nothing for alan peter cayetano. he lost the vice presidency to leni robredo, lost the senate justice chair to dick gordon, and lost to pimentel as well. keep rowing, alan, all the way to river styx.

  9. Is the falling-out between President Duterte and Fidel Ramos has anything to do with Duterte’s pivot to China and Ramos’ connection with the Carlyle Group, a multi-billion U.S. defense contractor?

    • fvr is not getting any younger, at his age, he ought to be clear now of what kind of legacy he will leave behind. whether that of a disgruntled old man who was anti-pnoy, and now, anti-digong, or a much loved old man who is right and just, and on the side of justice.

      so he was betrayed, that should not be alien to him. going to china and then, not going to china. detour lang yan, and should not cost him a night’s sleep. if he’s as smart as he sounded, he should make his own ego trip now. make noise and seize opportunities. plenty opportunities now to make himself heard, relevant and man of the masses. he wore so many medals on his hat, I hope, hindi lang pang-decoration and mga iyan.

    • I think FVR knew from the very start that PDut will drop the US over China. He’s in the best position to give unsolicited advice because PDut respects him. Aside from his possible connection to a defense contractor, he’s a West Pointer and with a very close ties with the US.

  10. If cayetano has committed treason in his visit to china, he should be ousted in the senate through the senate ethics committee, and the filed a disbarment case, ordisbarred fiest then ousted, and then filed a criminal case for treason in proper court…justice must be done.

      • change has cam (sandra). vacc is full of clowns. to be fair, volunteers against crime should also file case against digong for telling porkies. 2 – 3 polis lost kuno kada araw, but where is the stat that support it?