Acting Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo —RICHARD A. REYES

As far as the Department of Foreign Affairs is concerned, President Duterte’s brand of diplomacy is working as the Philippines seeks to boost ties with other countries.

READ: Duterte’s brand of diplomacy worries several senators

Speaking at the Meet Inquirer Multimedia forum on Tuesday, acting Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo clarified that the Duterte administration’s independent foreign policy “does not mean acting alone but means acting in consonance with others, where necessary, having the national interest at heart.”

Manalo said there was hardly a need to explain the President whenever he made controversial statements.

“What is important is that they (the international community) see that the Philippines is reaching out to countries. Our policy has remained constant and, in some cases, has even gone further towards improving relations,” he said. “We are reaching out to so many countries and I think that is the key. I think, that is how they view our foreign policy.”

The President is scheduled to make a trip to Tokyo, Japan, in June for the Future of Asia Conference hosted by Nikkei. Next month, he would attend the 2017 World Economic Forum on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Cambodia and the summit for the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative in China.

Manalo further clarified that the Philippines was not veering away from one country in favor of another, as in the case of the United States and China or Russia. It was instead opening up and working to improve relationships with other countries.

“Basically the Philippines has been going out.  The foreign policy now is how to engage our partners and build stronger relations for the mutual benefit of the Philippines and the other country. We wish to have a relationship of mutual benefit and mutual respect and if we move towards one country, it should not be at the expense of another,” Manalo explained.

“We think by enhancing relationships with more countries we, in effect, are creating more security for ourselves and perhaps also improving the welfare of the country,” he said.

Manalo denied that President Duterte flip-flopping on his statements with regard to the South China Sea, saying he had been consistent in saying that the only way to resolve the conflict was by creating trust and talking to Beijing.

READ: Duterte not flip-flopping on China statements-DFA secretary

President Duterte, he said, would determine areas where the Philippines and other fellow Southeast Asian nations could cooperate when he attends next month’s OBOR initiative in China.