VIENTIANE, LAOS: New Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte sought to defuse a row with the US on Tuesday, voicing regret for calling President Barack Obama a “son of a bitch”, a comment that prompted Washington to call off a bilateral meeting.
The tiff between the two allies overshadowed the opening of a summit of East and South-east Asian nations here. It also soured Obama’s last swing as president through a region he has tried to make a focus of US foreign policy, a strategy seen as a response to China’s economic and military muscle-flexing.
Diplomats say strains with the Philippines could compound Washington’s difficulties in forging a united front with South-east Asian partners on the geostrategic jostle with Beijing over the South China Sea.
Duterte has bristled repeatedly at criticism over his “war on drugs”, which has killed about 2,400 people since he took office two months ago, and on Monday said it would be “rude” for Obama to raise the question of human rights when they met.
Such a conversation, Duterte told reporters, would prompt him to curse at Obama, using a Filipino phrase “putang ina” which can mean “son of a bitch” or “son of a whore”.
{{/usCountry}}Such a conversation, Duterte told reporters, would prompt him to curse at Obama, using a Filipino phrase “putang ina” which can mean “son of a bitch” or “son of a whore”.
{{/usCountry}}After Washington called off Tuesday’s bilateral meeting , the Philippines issued two statements expressing regret. “President Duterte explained that the press reports that President Obama would ‘lecture’ him on extrajudicial killings led to his strong comments, which in turn elicited concern,” it said in a statement. “He regrets that his remarks to the press have caused much controversy. He expressed his deep regard and affinity for President Obama and for the enduring partnership between our nations.”
Obama’s deputy national security adviser, Ben Rhodes, said the focus on Duterte’s comments leading into the summit had not created a constructive environment for a bilateral meeting. “All of the attention frankly was on those comments, and therefore not on the very substantive agenda that we have with the Philippines,” he said.