Manila: The first rule of diplomacy?
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Malacañang on Thursday denied that President Rodrigo Duterte was taking a shortcut instead of following due process in his administration’s crackdown against illegal drugs.
After his unflattering comments about US Ambassador to the Phillippines Philip Goldberg sparked outrage and prompted a reaction from the US State Department, President Rodrigo Duterte insisted on the “strong alliance” between the US and the Philippines.
Recounting Mr. Kerry’s visit to the country, Mr. Duterte, speaking Tagalog, told troops at the country’s Armed Forces Central Command Headquarters that he was feuding with Philip Goldberg, the US ambassador to the Philippines, CNN reported.
Duterte reportedly called Goldberg a “gay ambassador” and “son of a bitch” during a recent meeting with soldiers.
“I was angry because she was raped, that’s one thing”, Duterte said in April.
Goldberg, the US ambassador, had previously criticized Duterte’s campaign trail comments appearing to bemoan the fact that he was not able to rape an Australian missionary who was assaulted and killed in 1989 while in prison in Davao, where Duterte was the mayor at the time.
Both Goldberg and the Australian ambassador strongly objected to the disturbing comments, which in turn raised the ire of Duterte.
“Like communists, if they have established their influence, then that’s the time their political officers come in”, he said.
“Philippine-US relations remain strong”, he told AFP Wednesday.
A defense pact upheld this year allows the US military to build facilities at five Philippine bases, and more USA ships than ever are stopping by the former USA naval base at Subic Bay. Duterte has also tried to fix relations with China that have been strained over escalating territorial disputes in the South China Sea.
Abella said Duterte was only facilitating the process, knowing how long it takes for cases to be heard in court.
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson Charles Jose yesterday confirmed that the Philippines’ Charge d’Affaires in Washington DC was invited to the US State Department to discuss “the entire breadth of Philippines-US relations”.
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The company has already seen its share prices take a pummeling and after Duterte’s attack Ongpin said that he is selling off his 54 percent stake in PhilWeb. The now-president once made headlines for calling the pope a “son of a whore”.
