Duterte’s ex-top diplomat who smoothed over Philippine-China ties arrested for bank fraud

Perfecto Yasay Jnr, Duterte’s college friend, was appointed as foreign secretary despite being implicated in criminal charges filed by the central bank in 2011

During his eight-month stint, he helped to smooth ties between Beijing and Manila after the latter won the South China Sea arbitration case against China in 2016

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Perfecto Yasay pictured in 2015 with his old college roommate Rodrigo Duterte. Photo: Facebook

Published: 3:00pm, 23 Aug 2019Updated: 3:27pm, 12 Dec 2019

Perfecto Yasay, Jnr, 72, President Rodrigo Duterte’s former college room mate whom he appointed as his first foreign secretary, was arrested in the Philippines on Wednesday in connection with a long-running bank fraud case.

He was appointed by Duterte despite being implicated in criminal charges filed before the Department of Justice by the Philippine Central Bank (BSP) in 2011.

Yasay played a key role “in crafting and articulating foreign policy”, a well-placed government source who spoke on condition of anonymity told the Post on Friday.

When Manila unexpectedly won the South China Sea arbitration case against Beijing before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in July 2016, it was Yasay who helped lower the temperature between both nations considerably and prevented a furious China backlash.

“[Yasay] was the one who explained the initial reaction to the arbitral award,” the source said, referring to the low-key approach taken by the administration on the landmark legal victory. “The China policy was crafted by a team of advisers that included Yasay, and he played a major role in explaining and implementing it.”

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