MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte apologized to former United States president Barack Obama for cursing the latter over comments on his administration’s war on drugs.
But after a while the firebrand Philippine leader again cursed Obama – in the same speech, still for the latter’s condemnation of the drug war two years ago.
Speaking before the Filipino community at the Ramada Hotel in Jerusalem, Israel on Sunday night (Monday in Manila), Duterte also told Obama to keep his hands off the Philippines’ domestic affairs.
“It would be appropriate to say at this time, Mr. Obama, you are now a civilian. I am sorry for uttering those words. Know it was just a plain talkatese. We have learned our lessons very well,” Duterte said.
“Being the president of a republic, you ought to know the basic rules. You do not criticize, especially if it is a problem of the country that you are criticizing,” he added.
After this, however, Duterte once again launched a tirade against Obama.
“Putangina Obama. You go to hell. You son of a bitch,” Duterte said. “Obama is a very cold person but (US President Donald) Trump, he is a good friend of mine. We speak the same language.”
Duterte has cussed at Obama for the latter’s criticism of the crackdown on drugs in the Philippines that resulted in thousands of deaths.
Obama had said he did not take the tough-talking president’s statements personally.
But this prompted the then US president to cancel his scheduled meeting with Duterte at the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Laos in 2016./PN
