A show of brute force: Russian Marines smash BRICKS over a comrade's stomach and hit each other with burning wood during 'skills' display in Manila as Philippines bolsters ties with Moscow




  • Russian Marines showed off their skills to the Filipino public in Manila's central park as part of a 'goodwill visit'
  • They had cinder blocks crushed on their stomachs and endured beatings from flaming planks in the display
  • The Russian Navy announced earlier this week that it was planning to hold war games with the Philippines

Russian Marines shattered glass bottles with their heads and smashed burning wooden planks against each other as part of an eye-catching charm offensive in the Philippines.
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'.
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.
The show culminated with them smashing glass bottles on their heads without any visible effect.
Brute strength: Russian Marines smashed bricks over their comrades' stomachs as part of an eye-catching charm offensive in the Philippines
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Brute strength: Russian Marines smashed bricks over their comrades' stomachs as part of an eye-catching charm offensive in the Philippines
Tough nut to crack: The show culminated with them smashing glass bottles on their heads without any visible effect
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Tough nut to crack: The show culminated with them smashing glass bottles on their heads without any visible effect
Feeling the burn: 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
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Feeling the burn: 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 display, eager Filipinos rushed to take 'selfies' with the beret-wearing Russians.
'The performances were great, the stunts were quite impressive,' gushed student Antonio Chua.
The visit was spearheaded by two warships following Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's announced pivot away from the United States.  
The camouflage-clad Marines also smashed boards with their fists and feet during the display in the Philippines capital
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The camouflage-clad Marines also smashed boards with their fists and feet during the display in the Philippines capital
Russian marines attached to the anti-submarine ship Admiral Tributs show their skills during a demonstration at a park in Manila
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Russian marines attached to the anti-submarine ship Admiral Tributs show their skills during a demonstration at a park in Manila
The visit was spearheaded by two warships following Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's announced pivot away from the United States
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The visit was spearheaded by two warships following Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's announced pivot away from the United States
Filipinos were also allowed to attend an open house on the submarine-hunter Admiral Tributs, one of the two ships making what was only the Russian Navy's third-ever port call in the Philippines
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Filipinos were also allowed to attend an open house on the submarine-hunter Admiral Tributs, one of the two ships making what was only the Russian Navy's third-ever port call in the Philippines
Filipinos were also allowed to attend an open house on the submarine-hunter Admiral Tributs, one of the two ships making what was only the Russian Navy's third-ever port call in the Philippines.
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,' Duterte said on a visit to China in October last year.
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
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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
The Russian Navy said earlier this week it was planning to hold war games with the Philippines, as two of its ships made a rare stop in Manila following Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte's pivot from the United States
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The Russian Navy said earlier this week it was planning to hold war games with the Philippines, as two of its ships made a rare stop in Manila following Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte's pivot from the United States
A Marine uses his fists to lash out at a glass container full of water in another show of strength during the bizarre display
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A Marine uses his fists to lash out at a glass container full of water in another show of strength during the bizarre display
Russian Marines show their individual combat skills during a public capability demonstration at the Luneta National Park in Metro Manila
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Russian Marines show their individual combat skills during a public capability demonstration at the Luneta National Park in Metro Manila
Through the pain barrier: A Marine shows off his fighting skills as crowds watch on in a park in the Philippines today
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Through the pain barrier: A Marine shows off his fighting skills as crowds watch on in a park in the Philippines today
Filipino children pose for pictures with some of the Russian soldiers who took part in the display in Manila 
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Filipino children pose for pictures with some of the Russian soldiers who took part in the display in Manila 
Russia's ambassador to the Philippines Igor Khovaev said Thursday he expected a planned visit by Duterte to Russia in April or May to be 'a milestone'
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Russia's ambassador to the Philippines Igor Khovaev said Thursday he expected a planned visit by Duterte to Russia in April or May to be 'a milestone'
'I've realigned myself in your (Chinese) 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 said Thursday he expected a planned visit by Duterte to Russia in April or May to be 'a milestone'.
'It will be a very successful visit that will give a powerful impetus (to our) cooperation in different fields,' Khovaev told reporters at the Marines' display.

Duterte Woos Army as Opponents Warn of Discontent in Ranks



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QuickTake: Philippines' Splintered Democracy



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Five months after his landslide election victory, Rodrigo Duterte can’t stop campaigning. Yet rather than courting Filipino voters who put him into office, he’s now giving out handguns and G-Shock watches to soldiers.



Rodrigo Duterte
Photographer: Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Images

Duterte has given almost half his public addresses as president to a military audience -- far more than his predecessors. The 71-year-old leader’s refreshed stump speech includes promises to double troop salaries, improve health care for soldiers and secure modern equipment.
“Clearly he is trying to curry favor," said Joseph Franco, a research fellow at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore who previously worked for the chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. “Duterte is aware that toying with the AFP would be a very bad idea."
Duterte’s outreach to the military is drawing attention in a country where coup rumors come as regularly as monsoon rains, with political opponents warning of the risk of discontent in an army with deep-rooted links to main security ally the U.S. Ties between the nation’s civilian and military leaders, long a source of conflict, are key to prolonging a period of political stability that has made the Philippines one of Asia’s fastest-growing economies.

‘Not Happy’

One senator warning of a military backlash against the president is Antonio Trillanes, a staunch critic of Duterte who was jailed for more than seven years for his involvement as a naval officer in several attempted coups against former President Gloria Arroyo.



A standoff inside Peninsula Hotel during a coup attempt against President Arroyo in Nov. 2007.
Photographer: Nana Buxani/Bloomberg

“The officer corps are quite wary of the statements of President Duterte -- they are not happy with the direction he is taking," Trillanes said.
Still, there are no signs of the kind of instability that led to a popular uprising that toppled former President Joseph Estrada in 2001. Last week, S&P Global Ratings affirmed a stable outlook on the country’s BBB rating, the second-lowest investment grade, even as it noted the “predictability of policy-making” has diminished under Duterte.
Duterte isn’t worried about any attempts to remove him from office, in part due to his high popularity rating, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon said in an interview. A poll in July -- the latest one available -- showed he enjoyed the trust of 91 percent of Filipinos.
Esperon confirmed that the administration has received reports of plots to oust Duterte, but the groups mentioned don’t have the capability to topple the government, he said.

‘Feel Honored’

“If indeed we prove that there is a destabilization attempt, in due time, we will come up with a statement," Esperon said. “In my view, I don’t think there’s any plot from the military."
The armed forces appreciates Duterte’s outreach and hasn’t seen any signs of unease among senior officers, spokesman Brigadier General Restituto Padilla said by phone.
“We feel honored that he prioritized visiting our men and installations," Padilla said of Duterte.

Peso Sinks

Duterte’s push for closer ties with the military comes as he leans on the police to crack down on drugs, a war that has led to thousands of deaths. The president routinely bolsters his tough-guy image with references to his tenure as mayor in the southern city of Davao, where he admitted to killing people.
Duterte’s frequent outbursts against critics of his lethal anti-drugs campaign -- particularly the U.S. -- have spooked investors. The Philippine peso sank to a seven-year low on Monday and stocks extended declines on Tuesday as global funds sold the nation’s stocks for a 24th straight day. The Philippine stock index had climbed 0.3 percent at its noon break Wednesday, while the peso was down 0.1 percent at the noon recess.




While Duterte has a tendency to contradict himself at times, his anti-U.S. rhetoric has increased after an expletive-laden tirade against President Barack Obama earlier this month prompted their first-ever meeting to be canceled. The Philippine leader has since called for an end to joint patrols in the South China Sea, and pushed for increased economic and military cooperation with China and Russia. Just this week, he said relations with Washington were reaching “a point of no return" and he accused the U.S. of manipulating the peso.



A protest on the disputed South China Sea outside the Chinese consular office Aug. 6.
Photographer: Ted Aljibe/AFP via Getty Images

Duterte’s comments don’t always mesh with the plans of the Philippine defense establishment, said Ashley Townshend, research fellow at the United States studies center at the University of Sydney.
"It’s telling that in the hours and days after some of these comments have been made you have had the foreign minister and other senior advisers sort of scurrying to make sure that their U.S. partners are aware that they are not throwing out the U.S. alliance," he said.
At home, Duterte has also reached out to communist rebels waging war against the government for almost five decades. He gave Cabinet posts to two political activists nominated by the National Democratic Front, the political wing of the insurgent movement, and freed more than a dozen other members ahead of peace talks that started in Oslo last month.
"That issue is very sentimental and emotional to the armed forces because not only resources were spent but also lives of soldiers and assets were lost," said Congressman Gary Alejano, who also joined a failed coup against Arroyo in 2003. “It is dangerous because you are now allowing the enemies of the state inside your house."
Duterte built an important bridge to the military establishment with the July appointment of former president and army chief Fidel Ramos as special envoy over the South China Sea dispute. Ramos, 88, played a crucial role in halting coup attempts against Arroyo and former President Corazon Aquino.

‘Bigger Issues Now’

Yet despite Ramos’s pedigree, his influence as a retired general is “persuasive at best because he had become a politician and he is not in active command," said Segundo Romero, professorial lecturer at the Ateneo de Manila University who used to help formulate defense policies for the government.