Speaking at a summit in Laos, Mr Obama had urged Mr Duterte to conduct his crime crackdown “the right way” with respect for the rule of law.
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Obamas remarks came at the end of a grueling nine-day trip that took him to Laos and China following USA stops in Nevada, Hawaii and Midway Atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
Duterte later said that he “regretted” the remarks and insisted that the Philippine expression “putang ina” is “an ordinary expression (used) by everyone”.
Mr Obama then cancelled a meeting with Mr Duterte in Laos but the two met informally on Wednesday in a holding room before attending a gala dinner.
Duterte added that Obama responded to his denial by saying, “My men will talk to you.” and Duterte replied with, “Ok”, the Associated Press reported.
Philippine officials this week handed out a 38-page pamphlet at the summit that praised Mr. Duterte’s drug campaign.
Presidential aide Ben Rhodes later told reporters the USA canceled the two leaders’ one-on-one meeting after the remark because “the nature of those comments was not constructive and… having a meeting where all we were gonna discuss was a series of comments, frankly did not strike us as the most constructive way to approach a bilateral meeting”.
Mr. Obama departed Laos Thursday for Washington, completing his final visit to Asia, a 9-day trip that included a stop in China.
Duterte has since apologized to the US President for his “strong comments”, through a statement released to the media. “I don’t think the guy is qualified to be President of the United States”. The trip will be the president’s last trip to Asia while being a US president.
Obama said that as his administration releases all but “40 or 50 people” from the military prison, it will be harder for Republicans in Congress to defend.
Obama met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a bid to get further Indian backing for last year’s Paris climate treaty.
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Despite voicing concern that Trump’s behavior was not being scrutinized closely enough by the press, the president emphasized that he believes the American public will examine his track record “and make a good decision”.
