Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has made a big deal of his overtures to Russia and China regarding defense issues, with detrimental consequences to the long-term relationship of the PI with the United States as its protector in the Pacific. Sources, who wish to remain confidential, have told Tsarizm that the Philippine military disagrees with the president and there is unrest within its leadership ranks. Perhaps that is why Duterte is hiring Russia to train his personal body guard force of elite soldiers. He wants to avoid a military coup.

Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of Russia’s Security Council and Vladimir Putin’s top security adviser, made the offer during a meeting between Russian and Philippine security officials in Davao, where he was visiting Duterte in his home city, reports Reuters.

Russia is very keen to sell the Philippines weapons and make inroads into the traditional American naval and air base in the region. Losing the PI as an ally is one of the many failures of the Obama administration’s foreign policy. Russia will also give Duterte access to a database of terrorists to help deal with the Islamic jihadist problem that exists in some of the outer islands of the PI.

“We are keen on signing a defense cooperation agreement,” Lorenzana said of that trip.

The United States would have a much harder time protecting the international shipping lanes in the South China Sea from Chinese control with the Philippines neutral in a conflict at best and possibly even a belligerent.

Perhaps this is why a coup against President Duterte is something to worry about.