U.S. President Barack Obama boards Air Force One to depart at the conclusion of his participation in the ASEAN Summits, from Wattay International Airport in Vientiane, Laos September 8, 2016.
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But the leader, who won the presidency earlier this year on his anti-drugs message, has stayed relentless in his bid to keep the Philippines narcotics-free, oftentimes lashing out and using offensive language against his detractors.
Asked by reporters about a vulgar remark about Obama made by Duterte at the G20 summit this week, Obama said he did not take “these comments personally”.
Obama then canceled a meeting with Duterte in Laos but the two met informally on Wednesday in a holding room before attending a gala dinner.
Duterte sparked a storm on the eve of an Asian summit this week when he appeared to label Obama a “son of a whore”, prompting the USA president to cancel a planned meeting.
President Barack Obama has said that Republican Donald Trump proves he is not qualified to be president “every time he speaks”, adding that he was confident Americans would ultimately reject the brash billionaire on election day.
Clinton, who as secretary of state was an architect of Obama’s policy of emphasizing the importance of the Asia Pacific to USA interests in the face of a rising China, said Obama was right to cancel the meeting. You must be respectful. More than 2,000 people have killed in the crackdown since he took office on June 30. I can’t say how long they met. “It all springs from the fact that the relationship between the Philippines and the United States is firm, very strong”, Yasay told the media. Do not just throw questions.
The acid-tongued Duterte yesterday insisted the Philippine expression “putang ina” should not be taken at face value, since it was “an ordinary expression (used) by everyone”.
In his prepared speech, Duterte was to call for maintaining freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea, where China has built at least seven artificial islands equipped with runways and radar to bolster its territorial claim in almost the entire water body.
However, after fears that the two would not get along were allayed during their brief banquet meeting, Duterte once again attracted the spotlight by calling UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon “a fool”.
However Obama did not sit next to Duterte.
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He said he told the leaders, “This is human rights, what do you intend to do?” and “Human rights violations whether committed by Moses or Abraham, is still violation of human rights”.
