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Philippines Not to Be Pawn of US: President
The Philippines will not allow itself to be used as a pawn in the geopolitical plays of the United States, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo told a news conference in the Presidential Palace Tuesday.
Answering a question posed by Time Magazine on Philippines' role in the U.S.-China disputes, Arroyo said, "We have been friends of the United States for a long time. We are also friends of China, which is our neighbor. We are urging them to settle their difference amicably."
"I don't think they need a pawn. What they're after is support from different countries for their respective positions," she said.
Echoing Arroyo's pronouncement, Defense Secretary Angelo Reyes added that, "while the Philippines has strategic advantages, we have our own self-interests to protect."
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