Washington recently expressed concern over the killings but Duterte, in typical fashion, later dismissed this and lashed out at USA ambassador to the Philippines, labelling him a “gay son of a whore”. He said that in recent years, the USA and Asia had solidified “unprecedented” cooperation that will create more prosperity for their peoples.
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Obama said the United States and Southeast Asian nations gathered in Laos have advanced a vision of an open, competitive economic system in which all nations play by the same rules.
Duterte had his outburst on Monday when he was defending his war on drugs that has killed at least 2,400 Filipinos. Earlier this week Duterte’s lewd jab at Obama – calling him a “son of a whore” – prompted the White House to cancel planned bilateral talks.
Obama said his team would meet with Duterte’s to determine how they can “move forward” in their relationship.
“The consequences of when you do it the wrong way are innocent people get hurt, and you have a bunch of unintended consequences that don’t solve the problem”, Obama said.
Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte has said he told President Barack Obama during their encounter in Laos that he never cursed him.
Obama spoke up about the issue on Thursday.
Indeed, Obama had a “brief discussion” with Duterte on Wednesday in a private room where world leaders mingled outside the view of the press before they entered the gala, according to an Obama administration official.
Duterte delivered the insult in his native Tagalog tongue, just as he had with the statement about Obama, which he now claims he never made. “Son of a bitch, I will swear at you”, promised Duterte, whose history of crude remarks gained notice internationally after he was elected this year.
“I don’t take these comments personally, because it seems as if this is a phrase he has used repeatedly, including directed at the pope”, Obama said, speculating that it is “just a habit, a way of speaking for him”. “It is your duty”, Duterte told the media during a briefing upon his arrival at the Davao International Airport from a five-day trip overseas.
“Even Ban Ki-moon weighed in”, Duterte said.
Criticism of the Philippines’ drug war by representatives of the United Nations have also evoked equally furious responses from Duterte, who threatened to pull his country out of the organization.
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He said he “regrets” these “came across as a personal attack on the U.S. President”.
