Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday said he regrets comments aimed at U.S. President Barack Obama, which led to a cancellation of their meeting.
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Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Mr Obama described his Filipino counterpart as a “colourful guy” and said he had asked his staff to assess whether a meeting between the two leaders would be “productive” in light of Mr Duterte’s comments.
“I am a president of a sovereign state, and we have long ceased to be a colony”, Duterte told reporters before he left his country for Laos, where he and Obama will attend the meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Making the first visit to the nation as a sitting president, Obama said too few Americans are aware of the United States’ covert bombing campaign in the south Asian country.
It is part of Obama’s efforts to shift USA diplomatic and military resources away from the Middle East and into Asia to counter China’s dominance in the region.
Duterte promised to wipe out drugs, drug dealers and suppress crime after winning the presidency back in May.
Senator Panfilo Lacson says presidents come and go while alliances between countries stay.
“You must be respectful”. Then, using a curse in Tagalog that can be translated as “son of a bitch”, he added, “I will swear at you in that forum”.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, center, arrives at the National Convention Center for scheduled bilateral meetings with ASEAN leaders on the sidelines of the 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits and other related summits Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016 in Vientiane, Laos.
Meanwhile, President Duterte said in a statement that his meeting with Obama was mutually agreed to be moved to a later date.
According to an worldwide news agency, the Filipino leader on Tuesday apologised for his remarks and expressed regret.
Nevertheless, the South China Sea issue is expected to once again be discussed at the three days of meetings hosted by ASEAN. Beijing has rejected the ruling as a sham.
Duterte said last week that the Philippine coast guard has sighted Chinese barges at Scarborough, which he said could presage the transformation of the Chinese-held reef into another man-made island.
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He has also sought to heal relations with China rather than inflame them by pressing the tribunal’s ruling.
