Manila // As president Roderigo Duterte considers joint naval exercises with Russia, Russian marines shattered glass bottles with their heads and smashed burning wooden planks against each other in the Philippines capital on Thursday in a charm offensive on the traditional US ally.
The camouflage-clad marines showed off their pistol-shooting, knife-fighting and martial arts skills to the Filipino public in Manila’s central park as part of a goodwill visit spearheaded by two warships following Mr Duterte’s pivot away from the United States.
As bewildered passers-by watched, the Russians smashed boards with their fists, had cinder blocks crushed on their stomachs and endured beatings from flaming planks.
After the show culminated with the marines smashing glass bottles on their heads, eager Filipinos rushed to take selfies with them.
“The performances were great, the stunts were quite impressive,” gushed student Antonio Chua.
Filipinos were also allowed aboard the submarine-hunter Admiral Tributs, one of the two ships making what was only the Russian navy's third port call in the Philippines.
Mr Duterte’s spokesman said on Thursday that the president would consider joint naval exercises with Russia to enhance the countries’ maritime cooperation.
Mr Duterte, who calls himself a socialist, has championed a move away from the United States and towards US rivals Russia and China following American criticism of his bloody war on crime that has claimed thousands of lives.
“America has lost,” he said on a visit to China in October last year.
“I’ve realigned myself in your [China’s] ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to [president Vladimir] Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world: China, Philippines and Russia. It’s the only way.”
Russia’s ambassador to the Philippines Igor Khovaev on Thursday said he expected a visit by Mr Duterte to Russia in April or May to be “a milestone”.
“It will be a very successful visit that will give a powerful impetus cooperation in different fields,” said Mr Khovaev.
* Agence France-Presse