Obama made history on the trip when he became the first US president to visit Laos, the small country that still bears the scars of a formerly secret USA bombing campaign during the Vietnam War that left behind millions of unexploded bombs. “Son of a bitch, I will swear at you in that forum”, he said.
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“I don’t take these comments personally, because it seems as if this is a phrase he’s used repeatedly directed at the pope and others”, Obama said of the slur. It seems to be “a habit, a way of speaking for him”.
The U.S. government gave no explanation for the cancellation of the bilateral meeting.
The Obama administration had been working to build closer military and economic ties to the Philippines at a time when China’s growing influence has alarmed smaller nations in the region. “Check it out, ‘” Mr. Duterte said. “I am the president of the Philippines, not the republic of the global community”.
On Monday, hours before arriving in Laos, Duterte told Philippine reporters he wouldn’t accept questions from Obama about extrajudicial killings that have occurred during his crackdown on suspected drug dealers and users. “I don’t think the guy is qualified to be President of the United States”.
“I do not have any master except the Filipino people, nobody but nobody”. Obama said they shook hands but that it was a brief interaction, adding that he’d told Duterte their aides should confer on how the two treaty allies can move forward. “I never confronted Obama”, said President Duterte.
The high-profile spat “could harm the long-standing optimism of American business to invest in the Philippines”, the chamber of commerce added.
It’s a rough few days for Duterte.
The outspoken Filipino politician is facing global fire for his campaign against drugs which has so far resulted in the deaths of almost 2,000 suspected drug pushers, some at the hands of local Filipino forces and others allegedly by vigilante groups and individuals.
Duterte’s remarks prompted Obama to cancel a scheduled meeting with Duterte last Thursday on the sidelines of the Laos meetings.
According to his spokesman, Duterte had suffered a severe migraine. But Duterte dismissed it and said that America has nothing to do with it.
“My president apologised for what he said”, Pacquiao said.
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An Indonesian diplomat said Duterte held up a picture of Filipinos killed in colonial times to underscore his point.
