Obama Calls Off Meeting With Philippine President After “Son Of A B****” Comment
U.S. President Barack Obama has cancelled a proposed meeting with controversial Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday after the latter described him as a “son of a b****”.
Duterte, has been roundly criticized abroad for a ‘war on drugs’ that has killed about 2,400 people since he was inaugurated June 30.
He was furious on Monday after he learnt the U.S President was to question him about extrajudicial killings in his country, calling the U.S president in local Filipino phrase “son of a b****”.
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The White House canceled the meeting shortly after Duterte’s comments.
Obama learned about the insult as he emerged from the Group of 20 summit in Hangzhou, China. At a news conference, he responded by saying: “Clearly, he’s a colorful guy.” “What I’ve instructed my team to do is talk to their Philippine counterparts to find out is this in fact a time where we can have some constructive, productive conversations.”
Since then, the Philippine President has been scrambling to smooth things over with the U.S., saying he regretted his comments.
“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,” the Philippines government said.
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“He regrets that his remarks to the press have caused much controversy,” it added in a statement released at the summit in Vientiane, the capital of Laos.
Duterte ran on a pledge to rid the Philippines of drug trafficking, and once he took office began a campaign in which thousands were rounded up and killed without due process. Some of the victims were tangentially related to the drug trade — or just at the wrong place at the wrong time — including a 5-year-old killed in the roundups.
The insult “son of a b****” is a favorite of Duterte’s. He’s used it against Pope Francis, after a visit by Pope Francis caused traffic tie-ups in the Philippines. He’s also given the title to the U.S. ambassador in Manila, whom Duterte also called “gay.” And U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is also part of the “son of a b****” club, after Ban said the drug killings were “illegal and a breach of fundamental rights and freedoms.”
