After blaming media for making a big deal of his “strong comments” that led to the cancellation of his meeting with US President Barack Obama, President Rodrigo Duterte said he harbors no grudge against journalists and even invited media to “attack” him if he does wrong.
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He said he thinks this was “the most telling words” that he uttered in the just concluded summit of leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and ASEAN dialogue partners in Vientiane, Laos.
In his never-ending quest to demean the United States while puffing up the egos of foreigners, President Barack Obama repeatedly said that Americans tend to be lazy during a town hall meeting Wednesday with young leaders in Laos.
Speaking at a news conference in Laos on Thursday, Obama says he continues to believe Trump isn’t qualified to be president and that “every time he speaks, that opinion is confirmed”.
“I never made statement … it’s just a media spin”. In that said speech, Duterte added the phrase “son of a whore” while undisruptedly lecturing about “respect” and since the person he was referring to was Obama, it came out easy to throw out that the former’s curse was intended for the latter.
Philippines ambassador to the United States, Marciano Paynor, said the tiff with the United States was part of a learning curve for Duterte, who needed a chance to make the transition from being a city mayor to a head of state.
He said: “I can tell you from the interactions I have had over the last eight or nine days with foreign leaders that this is serious business”.
Mr. Duterte swept to power in May on promises to wipe out crime and corruption within six months, pledging to wage a war on drug dealers and crush widespread addiction in a country of 100 million.
“You must be respectful”.
Duterte had reportedly called the U.S. President a “son of a b****” while talking to mediapersons in Philippines on Monday.
Duterte, who is known for his tough talk, blamed the media for spinning stories.
Mr. Duterte said his remarks were directed at the U.S. state department, which has raised concerns over potential human rights violations in his war on drugs that has left nearly 3,000 dead in just over two months.
“I assured everybody that there are only two options there: We go to fight, which we can not afford at all, or talk”, Duterte added.
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President Obama’s remarks about the meeting were significantly more muted than the initial confirmation that the meeting occurred from Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay. “Also gave a statement before, several weeks ago, about the human rights violation”.
