Perfecto ya say biography of michael

By Michael Coyne, an intern with the Lowy Institute's East Asia Program.

It's been a strange few weeks at the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs. First, former Secretary of Foreign Affairs Perfecto Yasay, a longtime friend of President Rodrigo Duterte with no foreign policy experience, was forced to step down after it became apparent that he was concealing his American citizenship. Now, the President has injected additional uncertainty into an already confusing situation at the Department.

In December, Duterte told reporters that Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, his unsuccessful running mate in the 2016 presidential election, would replace Yasay as foreign secretary after a mandatory moratorium on cabinet appointments for former presidential or vice-presidential candidates expires in mid-2017. Now however, Duterte has publicly suggested that Cayetano is 'needed by the Senate', and has hinted that he may simply promote Enrique Manalo, a career diplomat and the acting Foreign Secretary, to the position on a permanent basis. Duterte's prospective abandonment of his promise to Cayetano may be indicative of two developments in the President's thinking.    

1. Duterte is comfortable with a foreign ministry staffed by career diplomats

Duterte has stressed the importance of closer ties with China since his election – his October announcement that he had secured $24 billion in Chinese investment and credit facilities was hailed as a sign of early success for this approach. Former US Ambassador Philip Goldberg alleged that this deal was the product of a quiet visit to China in June 2016 by some of Duterte's allies, including Cayetano, who confirmed he had visited China in June. Duterte may believe he does not need to assign valuable allies like Cayetano to the Department of Foreign Affairs to make use of their services in advancing his international ambitions.

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