Philippine officials who defended the country’s rights over South China Sea said Donald Trump’s presidency may or may not have an impact on the territorial dispute, depending on his policies on foreign affairs.

“It’s difficult to say what the relations between the United States and the Philippines would be under a Trump presidency,” former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario told reporters at a forum in Miriam College on Saturday.

“I think if we go by the indications of what he had evidenced during the elections, which is to project protectionism and isolationism, I think it may not be the same as before in terms of the closeness of relations between our two countries,” he added.

Del Rosario said Trump may not push for the Asia Rebalance Strategy, which was crafted by defeated Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton during her tenure as Secretary of State under the Obama administration.

“I suspect that the focus on Asia will be less on defense and security and probably more on economic relation,” he added.

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