In dismissing Prof. Jose Ma. Sison’s analysis of a scenario of a possible US-supported military coup against Duterte, Malacañang and the military and police leadership reveal their complete ignorance of history and the continuing interventionist role being played by the US in the Philippines.

At the same time, by attacking and hurling ad hominem attacks against Ka Joma, Malacañang and Duterte’s minions are merely concealing their nightmare that, indeed, the US might withdraw support and instigate a coup against Duterte and allow him to be thrown into jail for grave crimes against the people. He and his ilk are extremely fearful that military and police officers who surround him are already conspiring with the political opposition as well as with US officials.

For more then one hundred years, the US government has been intervening in the internal affairs of countries across the world and has supported, sponsored or instigated coups against national governments asserting independence detrimental to US economic and geopolitical interests or supporting its puppets with military aid.

Philippine history is replete with overt and covert US interventionist operations starting in 1898 when the US colonized the country and eventually installed a neocolonial government in 1946, to instigating Enrile and the AFP to withdraw support for Marcos amid a people’s uprising in 1986, flying F-16s in 1987 to dissuade an AFP coup against Aquino and supporting the AFP coup in face of mass protests against Estrada in 2001.

It has repeatedly intervened in Philippine elections to ensure the sitting of “friendly” governments which have acquiesced to US economic dictates, forged lopsided military agreements with (the VFA, SOFA, MLSA and the EDCA), and allowed US military forces to maintain permanent presence in the country, build military installations and communication facilities, dock its warships, land its jetfighters, deploy its advisers and troops in counterinsurgency in the guise of “counter-terrorist operations” and have operational control of special AFP units.

For all his histrionic claims to upholding an “independent foreign policy,” Duterte is a puppet of the US government. He declared the Philippines an ally of the US, continued with US neoliberal economic impositions, upheld the Mutual Defense Treaty and all other unequal treaties with the US and allowed increasing number of troops in the country to carry out more and more war exercises and trainings. Duterte and the AFP continue to be provided with millions of dollars of military aid.

Duterte remains useful to the US despite having allowed China to strengthen its military and economic presence in the Philippines and the South China Sea. But as soon as Duterte outlives his usefulness or becomes a bigger political burden than an asset (like Marcos became because of massive protests), supporting or instigating his ouster through a coup or other methods will always be an option for the US government.