On the Scene With Perfecto Yasay Jr.

Since Perfecto Yasay Jr. accepted the post of secretary of foreign affairs in the government of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in 2016, it’s been one controversy after another. Duterte won the presidency in part on a platform that advocated the vigilante-style killings of anyone suspected of drug dealing and other street crimes. The leader’s coarse manner and bluster, particularly in regard to his nation’s heretofore close relationship with the United States, have offended domestic opponents and foreign observers alike.

For Yasay, 70, the post is the latest entry in a career dedicated to the practice of law and public service.

Yasay’s youthful opposition to the policies of President Ferdinand Marcos caused him to apply for political asylum in the United States after the imposition of martial law in 1972. He returned to the Philippines in 1987, resumed his law practice, served as chairman of the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission and ran unsuccessfully for vice president in 2010.

Yasay, 70, stopped in Honolulu recently en route to Mexico and talked about his experiences as foreign secretary.

JOHN BERGER: Why did you accept the demanding and high-profile post when you could be enjoying retirement?

PERFECTO YASAY: Because when duty calls one cannot refuse. I could have instead chosen retirement, but then the thought that I rejected the call of duty would have surely make me restless for the rest of my life.

JB: Relations between the United States and the Philippines got off to a very bad start with the American invasion in 1898 and then almost 40 years of American occupation. How has that shaped the relationship between our two countries?

PY: We were always referred to as the “little brown brothers,” and this has a stigma. We were the small brother, always dependent on America, and so we’re dragged into certain conflicts where we are forced to depend on America.

JB: How has the election of President Duterte changed relations between the Philippines and the U.S.?

PY: We recognize that America will pursue its own national interests first and foremost, and so we’re supposed to do that as well. If we want to be friends with the Russians and the Chinese, it does not mean that we are weakening our relationship with the United States.

JB: Filipinos have been contributing to the culture of Hawaii for 100 years. What can Americans in general learn from Filipino culture?

PY: One of the most important things that the Americans can learn from Filipinos is what friendship is all about. Our people value hard work, honesty and — this is probably something lost in American culture — family values and the “extended family system” with close friends.

JB: What do you enjoy doing to get away from the demands of your professional responsibilities?

PY: What I want to do is play golf, but because of the assignment that I have, I can’t do that. So I go to my next passion, which is reading, and sometimes I go to the movies.

“On the Scene” appears weekly in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser Sunday Magazine. Reach John Berger at jberger@staradvertiser.com.