(CNN) The chief of the Philippine National Police says his country will look elsewhere if it can't buy rifles from the United States.

The comments were in response to a report from Reuters that the US State Department halted the sale of about 26,000 assault rifles to Philippines police over concerns about the country's recent human rights record.

State Department Spokesman John Kirby said he could not comment on the arms sale due to federal regulations.

"We really need those firearms for our public safety forces in the PNP," said dela Rosa, according to CNN Philippines.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte was elected after pledging to wage an all-out war on drugs.

Since he's taken office, the country has seen a sharp rise in violence and extrajudicial killings.

Another bedrock of Duterte's time in office -- a shift in the country's international alliances.

Duterte has brought his country closer to China and Russia while vowing to distance the United States.

Duterte has hinted in the past that he's keen to strengthen Russian-Philippine ties.

He's also said that Russia could serve as an alternative arms supplier.</s>Former President Fidel V. Ramos

FORMER President Fidel V. Ramos on Monday resigned as the country’s special envoy to China after criticizing President Rodrigo Duterte’s repeated tirades against the United States and an apparent tilt towards China. “The moment the President came back from China from a successful state visit I resigned as special envoy to China because the officials have taken over,” Ramos said in a television interview. “I’ve done my job to... break the ice and to help restore the ties of goodwill and friendship,” he added. The Palace, however, said Ramos still had a role to play in Duterte’s talks with China.“We have not received the resignation. Moreover, it is not true that the former president can no longer have any role in our engagement with China,” Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in a statement. “His stature and expertise are needed now, more than ever, to follow up and build on what President Duterte accomplished during his recent visit to China,” he added. Ramos, whom Duterte credits for handing him the presidency, said in a column for a national broadsheet on Oct. 9 that the government was “losing badly” by prioritizing the war on drugs at the expense of issues such as poverty, living costs, foreign investment and jobs—calling it a “huge disappointment and letdown.” Sources had earlier told the Manila Standard that Duterte canceled Ramos’ China trip after he advised the incumbent President not to push through with the trip to China if they do not comply with certain conditions. Instead of heeding Ramos’ advice, sources said, Duterte canceled Ramos’ China trip and personally took control of talks with Chinese officials. A week later, Ramos compared the Philippines under “skipper” Duterte to a leaky and slow-moving ship due to internal strife and disunity. In a third piece, Ramos urged Duterte to refrain from trying to impress by saying too much. His fourth and latest column called on Duterte to approve the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and said the President’s diatribes were like “shooting himself in the mouth.” Earlier, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said that Beijing cannot just take away Manila’s historical rights and the recent victory from the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) against China’s excessive “9-dash line” claim in the South China Sea. “Maybe not now but when we go to another round of talks we will again assert it,” Esperon said about the country’s claim to the West Philippine Sea, after speculation persisted that Duterte had made concessions to the Chinese during his recent state visit to China. Esperon, however, said it was the President’s sworn duty to defend and protect the country. Shortly after Duterte’s visit, Malacañang and the Defense department reported that the Chinese Coast Guard was allowing Filipino fishermen to enter the disputed Scarborough Shoal to fish. The government also reported that warships of the Chinese Navy had already left the shoal, which is just 124 nautical miles off the coast of Masinloc, Zambales.Esperon said the President’s visit eased tensions between the two countries, which he said was a “win-win” situation. “It was win-win on both sides, but this is not to say that we have dropped our claim because we have asserted it,” Esperon said. Esperon also said the President mentioned the UN tribunal’s decision to Chinese President Xi Jinping. “Although the two presidents were not able to come up with a resolution on the disputed territories, why allow yourselves to be in that confrontational position when you can talk about economic relations [and] trade relations?” he said. The Palace on Monday fended off criticism that it did not have a coherent foreign policy. “If we are saying that we have an independent foreign policy, it doesn’t mean that you’re not going to do business with other countries. This only means that we are not depending on the United States or any other ally to tell us what to do,” Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said, reacting to criticism from former Philippine ambassador to the United Nations Lauro Baja, who said the country’s foreign policy was like a pendulum, swinging between the United States and China. “We have an independent foreign policy. This only means that no one interferes and no one even tells us what to do. It is going to be a foreign policy that is made in the Philippines,” he added. Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. had earlier said that the Philippines will honor its treaty obligations and agreements with other countries as long as mutual interests between countries converge. “Any partnership with any country must be based on convergence of interests. In this regard, the highest form of convergence of interests in international relations is expressed through treaties and conventions. We will respect and abide by all our treaty commitments,” Yasay said in Tokyo. Yasay added that the Philippines is in the process of enhancing engagements with as many countries as possible in pursuit of an independent foreign policy that serves the needs of the people. He said the country seeks amity with all nations on the basis of a policy of peace, equality, justice, freedom and cooperation. The Foreign Affairs department on Monday said it could not confirm reports that Australia and Indonesia plan to conduct joint patrols in the South China Sea. In a report from Sydney’s Morning Herald, Indonesian Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said he had proposed a “peace patrol” with Australia in the South China Sea to “bring peace” and combat illegal fishing when the two countries’ defense ministers met in Bali last week. “It’s a joint patrol or coordinated patrol, it’s the same thing,” Ryamizard told reporters. “There are no intentions to disrupt the relationship [with China]. It is called a peace patrol, it brings peace. It is about protecting fish in each other’s areas.” DFA spokesman Charles Jose said that he would have to verify the report. With John Paolo Bencito, Sara Susanne Fabunan</s>It's only Wednesday, but President Rodrigo Duterte must be ready for the weekend.

Fresh off his trip to China and his call for a "separation" from the U.S., the president of the Philippines is for the first time feeling the impact of what has seemed like to some to be a concerted effort to alienate his allies.

The first hit: the defection of former president Fidel Ramos. Duterte's camp on Wednesday confirmed that Ramos, Duterte's China envoy, has resigned from his post just four months into the president's tenure.

The news came after Ramos, who helped Duterte get elected, put out his second scathing critique of the Duterte's short tenure. The piece, published Sunday, accused Duterte of "unwittingly shooting himself in the mouth" and taking "101.5 million Filipinos" down with him by insulting allies.

"He may claim that to be more 'insulting than friendly' to our long-established allies is part of his God-given 'destiny.' But, this is obviously wrong, and full of S. . .. T!!!," he wrote.

In an earlier letter, Ramos called Duterte first 100 days on the job a "huge disappointment and letdown." The former president faulted Duterte for a bloody campaign against suspected drug users and dealers that's claimed thousands of lives, as well as his anti-U.S., anti-U.N. rhetoric.

Ramos, a former armed forces head, was particularly critical of Duterte's comments on U.S.-Philippine military ties. Over the last few months, Duterte surprised many by calling for the withdrawal of U.S. special forces from the southern island of Mindanao and the cancellation of future U.S.-Philippine military exercises, only to back down days later.

"Are we throwing away decades of military partnership, tactical proficiency, compatible weaponry, predictable logistics and soldier-to-soldier camaraderie just like that?" asked Ramos.

Though opinion polls suggest that Duterte still enjoys strong public support, Ramos' comments will no doubt resonate, particularly among those with ties to the military and foreign policy elite.

It will be tough for Duterte's team to spin his departure as anything other than a massive loss. Responding to questions of Ramos' critique, a presidential spokesman call the former president "invaluable" to the administration. Another aide told the press he was "really surprised" by the resignation news.

A second sour surprise: news that the U.S. may halt the sale of 26,000 M4 assault rifles to the Philippine National police.

Reuters news agency on Tuesday reported that the State Department will stop the weapons sale due to opposition from Sen. Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a vocal critic of Duterte's so-called drug war.

Though the State Department did not not weigh in to confirm or deny the report, the head of the Philippine National Police said in a statement he was "saddened" by the news. President Duterte, meanwhile, tried to shrug it off, dismissing the report as an American "scare tactic" and the necessary weapons can be purchased elsewhere.

Duterte, of course, is partly right. Considering that the State Department will give $9 million in aid to counternarcotics and law enforcement programs in the Philippines in 2017, and Secretary of State John F. Kerry this summer pledged $32 million for Duterte's law enforcement programs, stopping the sale of 26,000 guns is a small gesture.

But it's a gesture that's intended to show that some U.S. funding for the Philippines can and will be cut should the president's human rights abuses and anti-U.S. rhetoric continue. Phelim Kine, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division, called it "the first real U.S. move to put teeth in its criticism of the spiralling death toll Duterte's 'drug war.' "</s>Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte chided the United States on Wednesday for halting the planned sale of 26,000 rifles to his country, calling those behind the decision “fools” and “monkeys” and indicating he might turn to Russia and China instead.

Duterte’s tirades against the former colonial power are routine during his speeches and he said on Wednesday he once believed in Washington, but had since lost respect for the Philippines’ biggest ally.

In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby said he regarded Duterte’s latest salvo as “inexplicably at odds with the close relationship that we continue to have with not just the Filipino people, but the Filipino government.”

The State Department halted the sale of the assault rifles to the Philippine police after staff from U.S. Senator Ben Cardin’s office said he would oppose it, Senate aides said Monday.

Aides said Cardin, the top Democrat on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was reluctant for the United States to provide the weapons given concern about human rights violations in the Philippines during Duterte’s bloody, four-month-old war on drugs.

“Look at these monkeys, the 26,000 firearms we wanted to buy, they don’t want to sell,” Duterte said during a televised speech.

“Son of a bitch, we have many homemade guns here. These American fools.”

More than 2,300 people have been killed in police operations or by suspected vigilantes as part of Duterte’s anti-narcotics effort, which was the linchpin of his election campaign.

Duterte has vented his anger at the United States for raising concerns about the extrajudicial killings.

“That’s why I was rude at them, because they were rude at me,” he said.

According to procedures in Washington, the U.S. Department of State informs Congress when international weapons sales are in the works. Aides said the State Department had been informed Cardin would oppose the deal during the prenotification process, thus effectively halting the sale.

“Committee staff told State that Cardin would block it if it was sent forward. They haven’t sent it. Does that mean it has been stopped? I guess that depends on your definition. It would be highly unusual for State to move it forward with explicit opposition,” a Senate aide said on Wednesday.

Kirby, the State Department spokesman, said he was barred from commenting on the status of the sale, while stressing the U.S. commitment to the U.S.-Philippines alliance.

Asked how the United States could have a close relationship with the Philippines’ government without also having such ties with its president, Kirby said in a democracy, the government “doesn’t rest on the shoulders of just one individual.”

Kirby denied Washington had any plan to circumvent Duterte but rather to stress that it has long and robust relationships with other parts of the government.

“Those are solid, they remain. But obviously, you also need to develop a good working relationship with the head of state,” Kirby said. “We’re committed to doing that.”

Speaking with troops at Fort Leonard Wood in Missouri, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said the long-standing military alliance had benefited both nations.

“We continue to regard them as an ally. Obviously we’re having conversations with the government of the Philippines about the future of that. That has been good for the Philippines, it is good for the United States,” Carter said in response to a serviceman’s question.

The Philippine police chief, Ronald dela Rosa, who has expressed disappointment that police might not get the M4 rifles, held a news conference where he showed a letter from the supplier, SIG Sauer, saying it had been advised by the U.S. Department of State that the application for the export license was proceeding normally.

If it does not go ahead, dela Rosa said, “We have many options and it’s their loss, not ours, if the report is true.”

Duterte reiterated that Russia and China had shown willingness to sell arms to the Philippines, but he would wait to see if his military wanted to continue using U.S. weapons.

“Russia, they are inviting us. China also. China is open, anything you want, they sent me brochure saying we select there, we’ll give you.

“But I am holding off because I was asking the military if they have any problem. Because if you have, if you want to stick to America, fine.

“But, look closely and balance the situation, they are rude to us.”</s>Ex-Philippine leader Fidel Ramos has resigned as special envoy to China after criticizing President Rodrigo Duterte’s tirades against the United States and deadly war on crime.

Duterte said late Tuesday he had received a resignation letter from Ramos, an elderly stalwart of Philippine politics who had been a trusted ally of the new leader but recently branded his rule as a “huge disappointment and let-down.”

According to the president, the pair had disagreed on U.S. relations and the domestic crime war, which has claimed more than 4,000 lives in four months.

“I know he is pro-Western. He is a military man who studied there (in the US). You must remember Ramos finished his (studies) in West Point. He really does not want to fight (with the US),” Duterte told reporters.

Duterte appointed Ramos, president from 1992 to 1998, as his envoy to mend relations with Beijing, which had soured under the previous administration over competing territorial claims to the South China Sea.

Ramos, 88, traveled to Hong Kong in August on an “icebreaker” trip to meet with senior Chinese officials.

But Ramos did not join Duterte in Beijing last month for a state visit that cemented better ties and secured billions of dollars in Chinese investments and loans.

Ramos told GMA7 television this week he had resigned because he had done what was needed to improve ties with China.

But Duterte’s comments pointed to a much deeper falling out with Ramos, who he had repeatedly publicly thanked for supporting his bid to become president.

Ramos, a former police and military general, has for decades been a powerful political force in the Philippines, and as armed forces vice chief of staff he was key in turning the military against dictator Ferdinand Marcos during the 1986 “People Power” revolution.

Ramos has in recent weeks been openly critical of Duterte’s attacks on the U.S. and threats to end the two nations’ military alliance.

Duterte’s tirades have been partly in response to American criticism of his war on crime.

“So, what gives? Are we throwing away decades of military partnership, tactical proficiency, compatible weaponry, predictable logistics and soldier-to-soldier camaraderie just like that,” Ramos wrote in a newspaper column to mark Duterte’s 100th day in office.

Ramos has also been one of the few prominent political figures to directly criticize Duterte’s anti-drugs crackdown.</s>President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Ramos, a mentor who he said persuaded him to run for office, as special envoy to China to help repair ties soured by an international arbitration case in a maritime territorial dispute which went in Manila's favor in July, sparking outrage in Beijing.

Ramos's decision to quit a job he had barely started was due to the progress made during Duterte's visit, including what appears to be an end to China's blockade of a disputed fishing zone.

"He has done his job," a Ramos aide told Reuters. "President Duterte has visited Beijing and our fishermen are back in the disputed Scarborough Shoal. He has accomplished his mission."

The aide declined to be named because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Ramos' office said an official statement would soon follow.

Ramos, an 88-year-old statesman widely respected in a country he led from 1992-1998, was quoted by GMA News Online as saying his China role was only to "break the ice".

Ramos is a supporter of Duterte but has recently turned critical of the maverick leader. In a newspaper column, he described Duterte's first 100 days in office as a "huge disappointment and letdown", an assessment that contrasts starkly with popular opinion.

Ramos said Duterte had spent too much energy on his war on drugs and neglected poverty, the environment and rising living costs and he described the president's hostility and mixed statements towards old ally the United States as "discombobulating".

But a Ramos aide on Tuesday said the resignation had nothing to do with his view on Duterte's performance.

"Please, do not put meaning into this, he remains a team Philippines player," the aide said.

The government gave little comment on the circumstances behind Ramos's resignation.

Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said Ramos "was instrumental in the softening of ties", while presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said it was Duterte's decision whether or not to accept the resignation.

As his first step towards softening ties with China, Ramos spent five days in Hong Kong in August meeting "old friends" - a diplomat and an academic - and described his trip as an "ice breaker".

The two countries had previously had no high-level contact for five years.

Ramos never made it to China, however. His office in September said a trip there had been postponed. A few weeks later, Duterte went to Beijing himself, accompanied by about 200 businessmen, and plenty of fanfare.

"I still consider myself a part of the Duterte team whether they like it or not," Ramos was quoted as saying by local media.</s>FORMER President Fidel Ramos has quit as special envoy of President Rodrigo Duterte to China to give way to official negotiators.

“The moment the President came back from China from a sucessful state visit, I resigned as special evoy to China because the oficials have taken over, and I have done my job,” Ramos told GMA News in a news report broadcast Monday evening.

On October 5, Duterte appointed journalist Jose Santiago “Chito” Santa Romana to the vacant post of ambassador to China.

Duterte went on a four-day state visit to China in October, bringing home $24 billion in loan and investment pledges.

Ramos’ announcement came after he wrote two opinion columns in the Manila Bulletin that were critical of Duterte.

In the first opinion piece, Ramos hit Duterte over the rising number of deaths linked to the government’s anti-crime drive, as well as the President’s expletive-laden rants against his international critics.

In another opinion column, Ramos againt criticized Duterte for refusing to commit to reductions in carbon emissions under the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

Ramos, who convinced Duterte to run for president, said the administration should not take offense, saying he should be considered an “older brother of the big, big, big Filipino family.”

“I still consider myself part of the Duterte team but I am free to give friendly advice, and that is part of our democratic culture,” Ramos told GMA News after paying respects to the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej and signing the book of condolences at the Royal Thai Embassy.</s>President Rodrigo Duterte will continue to consult former president Fidel Ramos even if he has resigned as the government’s special envoy to China.

Duterte on Tuesday night confirmed that Ramos has quit.

“I’d like to thank him for helping me and being of service to the nation even at his age,” the President said in a news briefing Tuesday night in Davao City.

“I take his advice. But you know I have my own way of assessing it,” the President said.

“I will still consult with [Ramos] in the future. Yes of course, if he cares to listen. Hindi naman siguro ibig sabihin na nag-resign na siya as a special envoy, hindi na ako makapag tanong sa kanya (He may have resigned that that doesn’t mean that I can no longer ask him some questions),” he added.

Duterte admitted that he and Ramos had differences of opinion especially over his government’s policies regarding the United States.

The President said he understood where Ramos was coming from when the former president criticized him on his foreign policy statements.

But he countered that his expletive laced-comments were in defense of his and the country’s dignity.

“Ang akin is matter of honor. ‘Di kami nagkaintindihan diyan… Maybe Ramos does not like it. Ibahin mo si Ramos. ibahin mo ako, hindi naman ako nag-aral kung saan-saan. Dito lang ako. Local boy lang ako. Hindi naman ako military. Ako, mayor lang, naging Presidente (For me it is a matter of honor. We disagreed on that.

 But Ramos is different, and I am different. I did not study abroad. I am a local boy. I do not come from the military. I am merely a mayor who became president),” Duterte said.

“Alam ko pro-Western si (Ramos). Doon nag-aral ‘yan eh. Ayaw niyang makipag-away (I know Ramos is pro-western, he studied there. He does not want to fight),” the president said.

In his resignation letter, Ramos affirmed his full support to the Philippines’ interests.

“This letter is my resignation as your special envoy to China. But more important, it is also an affirmation of my full support of the national interests of our Team Philippines of 100.5 million Filipinos that you now lead,” Ramos said in his letter which was read by Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella.

“Given that your State Visit to the PROC [People’s Republic of China] was officially wide-ranging, which has resulted in renewed bilateral relations between our two countries, kindly allow me to step down as the special envoy of the President to the People’s Republic of China. We’d like to believe that the efforts of our team, of the special envoy, played a modest but productive role in the breaking of the ice that led to your successful visit,” Ramos said.

Abella said Ramos and Duterte “continue to have a solid and respectful relationship.”</s>A visiting Cabinet member of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte had some good news to Filipino Canadians.

According to Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol, things have fundamentally changed since Duterte took over on June 30, 2016 following his landslide victory in the last election.

“This president is an unusual and extraordinary president,” Piñol said about Duterte.

Piñol, for one, noted to Filipino Canadians in Toronto that the Philippines is “safer now than it has been”.

Piñol made the remarks after he laid a wreath at the bust of Philippine national hero Jose Rizal in Toronto. The event was held in October at the Earl Bales Park.

Piñol was welcomed by Ambassador Petronila Garcia. Also at the event were Consul General Rosalita Prospero, Deputy Consul General Bernadette Therese Fernandez, and officers and guests of Knights of Rizal and Kababaihang Rizalista.

Among the “fundamental changes” cited by Piñol is the fight against corruption in government.

According to Piñol, the campaign does not spare members of the Cabinet, whom Duterte constantly reminds that they have to be honest.

Piñol also cited Duterte’s move for a ceasefire agreement with communist rebels under the National Democratic Front.

According to Piñol, the ceasefire has brought peace in many regions in the Philippines.

The Cabinet secretary also told Filipino Canadians that while Duterte has a “compassionate heart” for people, he does not negotiate with terrorists like the Abu Sayyaf group in Mindanao.

The Abu Sayyaf had previously beheaded two of their Canadian hostages: Robert Hall and John Ridsdel.

On the campaign against drugs, Piñol said that there are now almost one million people who have turned themselves in to seek cure for their addiction.

Piñol said that drug rehabilitation centres are being built in the Philippines to treat addicts.

Regarding agriculture, a major economic sector in the country, Piñol said that for the first time, farmers do not have to pay for irrigation.

Piñol also said that he has sat down with farmers and fishermen to listen to their concerns.

On foreign policy, Piñol said that Duterte has wisely ignored calls from some for the Philippines to enter into a conflict with China.

He recalled that in a recent visit to China, Duterte told Chinese President Xi Jinping that “among us Asians, we could settle our differences”.

The Philippines and China are parties to a multi-nation dispute over a number of islands in the South China Sea.</s>Malacañang on Tuesday confirmed that former President Fidel V. Ramos had resigned as the Philippines’ special envoy to China.

Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said Ramos informed him that he has submitted his resignation letter but President Rodrigo Duterte is yet to accept or reject it.

“According to FVR, the letter has been submitted to the Office of the Executive Secretary, but it will be up to

 PRRD [Duterte] whether to accept it or not,” Abella told reporters in a text message.

Ramos said he resigned because his job was over. His resignation came a few days after the President’s visit to China.

In a separate statement, Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said the government will still need Ramos’ “expertise and stature.”

“It is not true that the former president can no longer have any role in our engagement with China. His stature and expertise are needed now, more than ever, to follow up what President Duterte accomplished during his recent visit to China,” Andanar said in a text message.

Ramos recently criticized some of Duterte’s policy pronouncements.

In his column published on Saturday, Ramos cited Duterte’s stand not to honor the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change, which seeks to lower climate-warming emissions.

The former president, who convinced Duterte to run for president, earlier said the Philippines lost badly during the first 100 days of the administration.

Ramos criticized Duterte for being too focused on his war on drugs, neglecting other social ills such as poverty. He also observed that policemen were not following the basic rule of shooting to disable crime suspects, but were instead shooting to kill even if their lives were not in danger.

The former military and defense chief also called out Duterte on his anti-US foreign policy, including the President’s stand to end joint military exercises with its treaty ally. He also decried Duterte’s insults against UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon, a former foreign minister of South Korea who helped Filipino veterans of the Korean war.

Ramos was named special envoy to China in July.
Former Philippine president Fidel Ramos quits as the Philippines' special envoy to China amid a falling out with his mentee current Filipino president Rodrigo Duterte.