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mike2011

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  1. Denim: Are you speaking from experience? You sound like it.

     

    An interesting piece on the impact of the campaign on the poorer parts of society:

     

    No peace for the dead in Rodrigo Duterte's drug war

    Families who cannot afford to pay funeral parlour expenses to claim bodies of relatives watch them buried en masse.

     
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    b6ee8970a3cc4e698257d2b16eaba759_18.jpg Friends and family of Vicente Batiancila attend a wake which had lasted three weeks while the family raised funds to pay for the funeral costs [Paul Ratje/Al Jazeera] DefaultAvatar.jpg

    By

    Joe Henley

     

     

    Manila, Philippines - The body of 33-year-old Vicente Batiancila was displayed in a glass-topped coffin in a three-walled tin-roof shack. His family has been holding his wake for three weeks.

    It was mid-October, and the temperature in Metro Manila routinely rises above 30 degrees Celsius. His corpse, in danger of decomposing, was in need of a fresh injection of formaldehyde at a cost of 3,500 pesos [$73]. This, however, was the least of his family's worries.

    If they failed to get some money together quickly, Batiancila 's body would be buried anonymously with several other corpses in an unmarked mass grave.

    Batiancila 's friends and family observed the wake around his coffin, playing card games. They gambled, betting sums of money as a means of donating funds, known as "abuloy", for Batiancila 's funeral - funds his family did not have.

    Batiancila 's mother Dorotea, said he was like many in the Market 3 slum in the Navotas Fish Port Complex, a district in the impoverished northwestern region of Metro Manila where his family live. He worked part-time unloading fish from the boats that came into the harbour, pulling 11 or 12-hour shifts a couple of times a week.

    The work was hard, the hours long. Batiancila  took to using shabu, a readily available methamphetamine, to help him get through.

    He didn't use shabu for pleasure, or leisure, his family insisted. They said he wasn't an addict or a pusher.

    Yet, when the police raided a neighbourhood drug den where Batiancila  was making a delivery of milkfish, he was killed all the same. He was, his family said, simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.

    Now Batiancila 's partner, Jocelyn Bellarmina, his mother, and his children were not only left mourning his death. They were also left scrambling to pay for a funeral for which they had never planned - held liable for fees they could not afford.

    They didn't have much, said Bellarmina, surviving mostly on the 2,000 pesos [$41] a month Batiancila 's casual work brought in. But they had each other.

    "I was surprised that it happened," Bellarmina said, holding 10-month-old baby Jake on her lap. Some mornings, she told Al Jazeera, Jake had put his hand on the glass covering of the coffin, stroking it in the same way he did when trying to wake his father by pawing softly at his face.

    "We were very happy."

  2. Duterte redefining himself as Chinese. For earlier comments on his Chinese 'blood' simply google.

     

    Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte declares his country’s ‘separation’ from the US

    ‘It is not the time to go to war... this visit is the defining moment of my presidency’

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    duterte-china.jpg Mr Duterte, left and Chinese president Xi Jinping shake hands during the Beijing visit Getty Images

    The Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has announced his “separation” from the United States.

    He made the comment at a business forum in the presence of Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli at Beijing’s Great Hall of the People during a four-day state visit to China.

    It follows Mr Duterte’s admission that a close economic partnership with China is his nation’s “only hope” following a cooling of relations with the US.

    “Maybe because I am Chinese, I believe in sincerity,” he said in an extended interview with Chinese state broadcaster CCTV, when asked why the Philippines had changed its policy towards China.

    Since 2012, the two countries have been locked in a fierce territorial dispute involving islands in the South China sea, ever since China denied Philippine fishermen access to crucial waters around Huangyan Island.

    Duterte said the South China Sea arbitration case would “take the back seat” during talks, and that he would wait for the Chinese to bring up the dispute rather than doing so himself. “It is not the time to go to war” with China, he said, referring to the disagreement.

    “The only hope of the Philippines economically, I’ll be frank with you, is China,” he continued. “This visit [to China] is the defining moment of my presidency.

    “I would say that China deserves the kind of respect that China now enjoys.”

    Chinese President Xi Jinping, who Mr Duterte is due to hold talks with on Thursday, described the official visit as a milestone which could “push relations between the two countries back on a friendly footing”, calling the Philippines “brothers” to China.

    Mr Duterte pointed out that a quarter of the Philippine population is of Chinese descent, including his own grandfather who hailed from the city of Xiamen, and said that at a recent business forum, “everybody [was] shouting” to accompany him to China.

    The most controversial quotes from Rodrigo Duterte

     

    “This is the start of a souring of relations with America”, he added, before retracting his comment and saying he was not “breaking away from the US” but merely wanted to be “friends with everybody”.

    Meanwhile, Beijing has vowed to restore Philippine agricultural exports to China and provide financing for Philippine infrastructure.

    Mr Duterte publicly implored President Xi to provide the funds to build a major railroad in the Philippines, “if you can find it in your heart to give it to us”.

    In early October, Mr Duterte effectively severed 65 years of military ties between the US and the Philippines by ordering US troops out of the country.

    The president, who has been in power since June, has attracted condemnation from the US and EU for encouraging a violent and protracted war on drugs, in which 3,600 have been killed – prompting Mr Duterte to issue expletive-filled dismissals of all who opposed his policies.

  3. AFP confirmed that he again called Obama a son of a whore

     

    Philippines' Duterte announces 'separation' from US

    • Posted 21 Oct 2016 02:16
    • Updated 21 Oct 2016 05:18
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    BEIJING: Philippines' President Rodrigo Duterte declared his "separation" from longstanding ally the United States, in Beijing on Thursday, as he rebalances his country's diplomacy towards China.

    Duterte is in China for a four-day trip seen as confirming his tilt away from Washington and towards Beijing's sphere of influence - and its deep pockets.

    "I announce my separation from the United States," he said to applause at a meeting in the Chinese capital.

    "America does not control our lives. Enough bull****," he added in a rambling speech that flipped between languages. "How can you be the most powerful industrial country when you owe China and you are not paying it?"

    His comments came after he met his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People on Tiananmen Square, with the two men pledging to enhance trust and friendship, while playing down a maritime dispute.

    Xi called the two countries "neighbours across the sea" with "no reason for hostility or confrontation", the official Xinhua news agency said.

    Under Duterte's predecessor Benigno Aquino the two countries were at loggerheads over the South China Sea but since taking office in June the new head of state has changed course.

    In a statement, the Chinese foreign ministry cited Xi as telling Duterte that difficult topics of discussion "could be shelved temporarily". Duterte called the meeting "historic", it added.

    In Washington, State Department spokesman John Kirby said the US considered Duterte's comments "inexplicably at odds with the very close relationship" between the two countries.

    "We are going to be seeking an explanation of exactly what the president meant when he talked about separation from the US," he said.

    A senior US administration official said the Philippines has so far made no formal request to modify its cooperation with Washington.

    ANTI-US RHETORIC

    Duterte's visit to Beijing capped a series of recent declarations blasting the US, its former colonial ruler, and President Barack Obama.

    Addressing the Filipino community in Beijing on Wednesday, the firebrand leader said the Philippines had gained little from its long alliance with the US. He also repeated his denunciation of Obama as a "son of a whore".

    Last month Duterte sparked a diplomatic storm when he used the term to refer to Obama after being told the US president would raise rights concerns at an Asia meeting.

    On Wednesday, hundreds of protesters gathered at the US embassy in Manila to voice support for Duterte's recent anti-US rhetoric and call for American troops to leave the country.

    Duterte has also suspended joint US-Philippine patrols in the strategically vital South China Sea, and has threatened an end to joint military exercises.

    The South China Sea is of intense interest to Washington and it has repeatedly spoken out on the various territorial disputes between China and its neighbours over the waters.

    Tensions have risen between the US and China over Washington's so-called "pivot" to the Asia-Pacific, a move that Beijing says is intended to contain it.

    In 2012, China seized control of Scarborough Shoal, a fishing ground in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.

    In a case brought by Aquino, the Philippines won a resounding victory at an international tribunal earlier this year over Beijing's extensive territorial maritime claims in the area, infuriating the Asian giant.

    But Duterte, who took office in June, shortly before the tribunal ruling, has made a point of not flaunting the outcome.

    Asked whether the leaders had discussed the South China Sea, the foreign ministry's spokesperson Hua Chunying said they had a "candid and friendly exchange of views on how to resolve relevant disputes".

    'FULL RECOVERY'

    The meeting between Xi and Duterte marked a "full recovery" of the "traditional friendship" between the two countries, Chinese vice minister Liu Zhenmin said, according to a transcript released by the Philippine president's office.

    They oversaw the signing of 13 bilateral cooperation documents on business, infrastructure, and agriculture, among other fields, he added.

    Beijing has also offered the Philippines a US$9 billion soft loan for development projects, a statement from the Philippine presidential press office said.

    About US$15 million of the promised loans will be earmarked for drug rehabilitation programmes amid Duterte's anti-drug campaign, which has killed thousands of people and raised concern abroad of human rights violations.

    China will also lift bans on 27 Philippine tropical fruit export companies. Previous sanctions on fruit were intended to punish Manila for its South China Sea stance.

    - AFP/de

  4. Here the official declaration - still no transcript of the Duterte speech just Tagalog youtube videos

     

    Joint Statement of the Republic of the Philippines and the People's Republic of China

     
     
     

    Beijing, October 21, 2016

     

    1.    At the invitation of H.E. President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China, H.E. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte of the Republic of the Philippines undertook a state visit to China from 18 to 21 October 2016.

    2.   During the visit, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte and President Xi Jinping had a fruitful meeting in an amicable and friendly atmosphere and conducted in-depth exchanges on bilateral relations as well as international and regional issues of shared interest. H.E. Li Keqiang, Premier of the State Council, and H.E. Zhang Dejiang, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, met with President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. H.E. Zhang Gaoli, Vice Premier of the State Council, and President Rodrigo Roa Duterte also attended the opening ceremony of Philippines-China Economic and Investment Forum and delivered remarks.

    3.    Both sides acknowledge the centuries-old bonds of friendship of the two peoples. Both sides agree that the mutual understanding and friendship of the two peoples are important. Both sides will make concerted efforts to cement the traditional friendship of the two peoples.

    4.    Both sides agree that since the establishment of diplomatic relations, Philippines-China relations have enjoyed smooth development and remarkable progress in many areas of cooperation which have benefited both countries and peoples.

    5.    Both sides commit to further enrich Philippines-China bilateral relations, founded on mutual respect, sincerity, equality and mutual benefit, which is conducive to regional peace, stability and prosperity.

    6.    Both sides reaffirm the principles contained in the Philippines-China Joint Communiqué of 1975 and other documents, whose principles include, among others, the principle of the peaceful settlement of all disputes and the Philippines’ adherence to the One-China Policy.

    7.    Both sides affirm their partnership and their common aspiration to achieve sustainable development and inclusive growth that will benefit the peoples of both countries. Both sides agree that this is a milestone visit which will infuse new energy to bring tangible benefits to the peoples of the two countries. Both sides will work together to pursue the sound and stable development of the strategic and cooperative relationship for peace and development.

    8.    Both sides acknowledge the great importance of maintaining high-level exchanges in promoting the all-around development of bilateral relations.

    9.    Both sides welcome the signing during the visit of various agreements and Memoranda of Understanding (MOU), as listed in the Annex.

    10.    Both sides express interest in finalizing agreements and MOUs in such areas as education, finance, customs and sports.

    11.    Both sides affirm the importance of existing Philippines-China bilateral dialogue mechanisms in enhancing understanding, broadening cooperation and striving for a stronger relationship. Both sides agree to resume the Foreign Ministry Consultations, Consular Consultations, Joint Commission on Economic and Trade Cooperation, Annual Defense Security Talks, Joint Committee on Agriculture, Joint Committee on Science and Technology, and other bilateral dialogue mechanisms.

    12.    Both sides will encourage exchange of visits of high-ranking governmental delegations and leaders at the local level, legislative organs, political parties, and civil organizations, and increase interactions and communications.

    13.    The Philippines welcomes China’s proposal to open a Consulate-General of the People’s Republic of China in Davao in due course. Proper arrangements for the diplomatic premises in both countries will be made in the spirit of the 1975 Joint Communique, on the basis of international practice and reciprocity, with priority for the most immediate concerns.

    14.    Realizing that coordinated action is necessary to combat transnational crimes, the two countries’ relevant agencies, subject to mutually agreed arrangements, will enhance cooperation and communication to combat transnational crimes, including telecommunications fraud, on-line fraud, cybercrimes, drug trafficking, trafficking in persons and wildlife trafficking.

    15.    Both sides oppose violent extremism and terrorism in all forms and will cooperate in the fields of information exchange, capacity building, among others, in order to jointly prevent and address the threat of violent extremism and terrorism.

    16.    China understands and supports Philippine Government’s efforts in fighting against illicit drugs. Realizing that the problem of illicit drugs poses severe threats to the health, safety and welfare of the peoples of both countries, both sides agree to enhance exchange of intelligence, know-how and technology sharing on fighting against drug crimes, preventive education and rehabilitation facilities.

    17.    To further strengthen the efforts to fight against illicit drugs, both sides agree to establish operation mechanism for joint investigation on special cases and intelligence collection purposes. The Philippines thanks China for its offer of assistance in personnel training and donation of drug detection, seizure, and testing equipment to aid in the fight against illicit drugs.

    18.    Both sides commit to enhance cooperation between their respective Coast Guards, to address maritime emergency incidents, as well as humanitarian and environmental concerns in the South China Sea, such as safety of lives and property at sea and the protection and preservation of the marine environment, in accordance with universally recognized principles of international law including the 1982 UNCLOS.

    19.    Both sides agree to continue discussions with a view to signing a bilateral agreement on Transfer of Sentenced Persons.

    20.    Both sides agree that bilateral defense and military cooperation are important components of bilateral relations. To enhance mutual trust, both sides agree to implement the Philippines-China MOU on Defense Cooperation, through exchanges and cooperation in areas of humanitarian assistance and disaster alleviation and peacekeeping operations.

    21.    Both sides agree that bilateral economic cooperation remains strong, but has room for growth. Both sides commit to enhance economic relations in the priority sectors of the two countries by leveraging their complementarity and continuously promoting trade, investment and economic cooperation, through the activities identified under the MOU on Strengthening Bilateral Trade, Investment and Economic Cooperation.

    22.    Both sides acknowledge the mutual economic and social benefits gained from the Five Year Development Program for Trade and Economic Cooperation (2011-2016), and announced their commitment to its renewal through the Memorandum of Understanding on the Formulation of the Development Program for Economic Cooperation.

    23.    Both sides identify poverty alleviation as their shared aspiration, and agree to exchange best practices and cooperate in projects in this regard.

    24.    Both sides express willingness to jointly undertake practical cooperation including infrastructure investment, infrastructure project construction and industrial production capacity. Both sides agree that infrastructure cooperation which are jointly undertaken will be subject to proper procurement process, transparency and in compliance with relevant domestic laws and regulations and international practices.

    25.    Both sides will develop financial cooperation including in areas such as concessional loans, preferential buyer’s credit, bonds issuance, loans, investments, securities, and others as mutually agreed upon including special loans for development. Both sides will strengthen cooperation in the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and other multilateral and regional development banks.

    26.    Both sides express willingness to expand the local currency settlement of bilateral trade and investment, and to coordinate to actively promote the regional financial cooperation which includes the multilateralization of Chiang Mai Initiative (CMIM) and bilateral swap arrangements (BSA). China welcomes the interest of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) in participating in the Chinese Interbank Bond Market.

    27.    Both sides commit to expand cooperation in agriculture, particularly in such areas as (i) agricultural technology and infrastructure; (ii) agricultural trade;
    (iii) irrigation; (iv) climate change adaption and mitigation, and (v) compliance with animal and plant sanitary standards.

    28.    Both sides agree to strengthen cooperation on animal and plant inspection and quarantine. The Philippines welcomes China’s announcement to restore permits of relevant Philippine enterprises that export bananas and pineapples to China, and continue to import vapor heat treated mangoes which were packed in facilities that comply with standards set by China.

    29.    Both sides will undertake joint efforts to promote cooperation in the fields of high quality hybrid rice seeds, agriculture infrastructure, agricultural machinery, further develop the role of the Sino-Phil Center for Agricultural Technology, and other mutually agreed upon areas. China commits support for the Philippines’ effort to improve its food production capacity, training of agricultural technical professionals, and agricultural and fisheries industry development and capacity building, subject to domestic laws.

    30.    China expresses readiness to support Philippine requests for assistance under the framework of the ASEAN Plus Three Emergency Rice Reserve (APTERR) in times of emergency.

    31.    China expresses readiness to provide assistance to the Philippines in building scientific research industrial system and in science and technology training. Both sides are willing to explore the possibility of jointly building technology transfer centers, joint laboratories, and science and technology resources sharing platforms.

    32.    Recognizing the growing two-way tourist arrivals in the past few years and noting momentum that will be driven by the “ASEAN-China Year of Tourism” in 2017, both sides agree to set the goal of intensifying tourism cooperation. Both sides will encourage their citizens to travel to each other’s country, explore the possible increase in capacity entitlements in air services, and encourage airlines to open new flights between Philippine cities, including Davao City and other cities in Visayas and Mindanao, and Chinese cities, which will contribute to the realization of this objective.

    33.    Both sides encourage the universities of the two countries to promote meaningful exchanges in the field of research and innovation and to strengthen academic exchanges and the model of university-research-industry communications and cooperation. China expresses readiness to increase allocation of Chinese Government Scholarship for the Philippines in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

    34.    Both sides agree to encourage mutual visits of media personnel, exchange of media products, cooperation in facilities, technologies and training between Chinese media and Philippine media including the People’s Broadcasting Corporation. The competent media authority of China is willing to enhance exchanges and cooperation with the Presidential Communication Office of the Philippines.

    35.    Both sides express interest in increasing twinning agreements between their cities and provinces, noting that these arrangements will encourage mutual understanding between their peoples and tap cooperation potentials at the local level.

    36.    Both sides agree to cooperate in emergency assistance and disaster relief.

    37.    Both sides reaffirm the importance of further implementing the “Executive Program of Cultural Agreement between the Philippines and China, 2015-2018” and encouraged their cultural institutions and groups to increase exchange of visits. Both sides will positively consider setting up their respective culture centers in each other’s country.

    38.    Both sides attach importance to people-to-people exchanges between the two countries, noting that 2017 marks 600 years of friendly contacts between the Sultanate of Sulu and China, and the Philippines and China expressed interest in holding relevant commemorative activities.

    39.    Both sides will explore other areas of bilateral cooperation including in information technology, health, customs cooperation, research and development, education, and other fields that will be mutually beneficial to both countries.

    40.    Both sides exchange views on issues regarding the South China Sea. Both sides affirm that contentious issues are not the sum total of the Philippines-China bilateral relationship. Both sides exchange views on the importance of handling the disputes in the South China Sea in an appropriate manner. Both sides also reaffirm the importance of maintaining and promoting peace and stability, freedom of navigation in and over-flight above the South China Sea, addressing their territorial and jurisdictional disputes by peaceful means, without resorting to the threat or use of force, through friendly consultations and negotiations by sovereign states directly concerned, in accordance with universally recognized principles of international law, including the Charter of the United Nations and the 1982 UNCLOS.

    41.    Both sides recall the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and the Joint Statement of the Foreign Ministers of ASEAN Member States and China on the Full and Effective Implementation of the DOC adopted in Vientiane on 25 July 2016. Both sides commit to the full and effective implementation of DOC in its entirety, and work substantively toward the early conclusion of a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) based on consensus.

    42.    Both sides agree to continue discussions on confidence-building measures to increase mutual trust and confidence and to exercise self-restraint in the conduct of activities in the South China Sea that would complicate or escalate disputes and affect peace and stability. In this regard, in addition to and without prejudice to other mechanisms, a bilateral consultation mechanism can be useful, which will meet regularly on current and other issues of concern to either side on the South China Sea. Both sides also agree to explore other areas of cooperation.

    43.    China expresses support for the Philippines’ chairmanship of ASEAN in 2017. Both sides express satisfaction with the growth of ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations over the past 25 years and affirmed their commitment to the principle of ASEAN centrality in the evolving regional architecture. China affirms support for ASEAN integration, ASEAN Community Building, as well as ASEAN’s efforts in realizing ASEAN 2025: Forging Ahead Together.

    44.    Both sides affirm their continued cooperation in UN, ASEAN Regional Forum, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, Asia-Europe Meeting, World Trade Organization, UN Climate Change Conference and other regional and multilateral organizations.

    45.    Both sides reaffirm adherence to sovereign equality, non-intervention, and non-interference enshrined in the UN Charter and reiterate their common commitment for the protection and promotion of human rights through dialogue and cooperation in light of the core human rights instruments to which both countries are parties to.

    46.    Both sides support the enhancement of the UN’s role through necessary and reasonable reforms. Both sides held that pushing for the implementation of development issues, upholding the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries, enhancing the voice and representation of developing countries in international affairs should be the priorities in the reform of the UN, including the Security Council, and increasing the role of developing countries in UN decision-making.

    47.    President Rodrigo Roa Duterte expressed appreciation for the warm welcome extended by the Chinese side. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte invited President Xi Jinping to visit the Philippines at a convenient time. President Xi Jinping accepted the invitation with pleasure. President Rodrigo Roa Duterte also said that he looked forward to welcoming Chinese leaders to the ASEAN and Related Summits in 2017.

     

    ANNEX

    List of Signed Cooperation Documents


    1.    Agreement on Economic and Technical Cooperation between the Government of the Republic of the Philippines and the Government of the People's Republic of China


    2.    Memorandum of Understanding between the National Economic and Development Authority of the Republic of the Philippines and the National Development and Reform Commission of the People's Republic of China for Developing Cooperation on Production Capacity and Investment


    3.    Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Works and Highways of the Republic of the Philippines and the National Development and Reform Commission of the People's Republic of China on Transportation Infrastructure Cooperation Project List


    4.    Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Trade and Industry of the Republic of the Philippines and the Ministry of Commerce of the Government of the People's Republic of China on Strengthening Bilateral Trade, Investment and Economic Cooperation


    5.    Memorandum of Understanding between the National Economic and Development Authority of the Republic of the Philippines and the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China on Formulation of the Development Program for Economic Cooperation


    6.    Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Finance of the Republic of the Philippines and the Ministry of Commerce of the People's Republic of China on Supporting the Conduct of Feasibility Studies for Major Projects


    7.    Action Plan on Agricultural Cooperation between the Department of Agriculture of the Republic of the Philippines and the Ministry of Agriculture of the People’s Republic of China 2017-2019


    8.    Memorandum of Agreement between the State Council Information Office of the People’s Republic of China and the Presidential Communications Operations Office of the Government of the Republic of the Philippines on News and Information Exchange, Training and for other Purposes


    9.    Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Agriculture of the Republic of the Philippines and the General Administration of Quality Supervision Inspection and Quarantine of the People’s Republic of China on Cooperation of Animal and Plant Inspection and Quarantine


    10.    Memorandum of Understanding between the Philippine Coast Guard and the China Coast Guard on the Establishment of a Joint Coast Guard Committee on Maritime Cooperation


    11.    Implementation Program of the Memorandum of Understanding on Tourism Cooperation between the Department of Tourism of the Republic of the Philippines and the National Tourism Administration of the People’s Republic of China 2017-2022


    12.    Protocol on Cooperation between the Philippines Drug Enforcement Agency and the Narcotics Control Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security of the People’s Republic of China; and


    13.    Memorandum of Understanding on Financing Cooperation between the Export-Import Bank of China and the Government of the Republic of the Philippines, represented by the Department of Finance

    END

  5. More on his foreign policy:

    Duterte aligns Philippines with China, says U.S. has lost

     
    'Brothers' Xi and Duterte cement new-found friendship
    01:59
     
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    By Ben Blanchard | BEIJING

    Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte announced his "separation" from the United States on Thursday, declaring he had realigned with China as the two agreed to resolve their South China Sea dispute through talks.

    Duterte made his comments in Beijing, where he is visiting with at least 200 business people to pave the way for what he calls a new commercial alliance as relations with longtime ally Washington deteriorate.

    "In this venue, your honors, in this venue, I announce my separation from the United States," Duterte told Chinese and Philippine business people, to applause, at a forum in the Great Hall of the People attended by Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli.

    "Both in military, not maybe social, but economics also. America has lost."

    Duterte's efforts to engage China, months after a tribunal in the Hague ruled that Beijing did not have historic rights to the South China Sea in a case brought by the previous administration in Manila, marks a reversal in foreign policy since the 71-year-old former mayor took office on June 30.

    His trade secretary, Ramon Lopez, said $13.5 billion in deals would be signed during the China trip.

    "I've realigned myself in your ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to (President Vladimir) Putin and tell him that there are three of us against the world - China, Philippines and Russia. It's the only way," Duterte told his Beijing audience.

    Duterte's remarks will prompt fresh concern in the United States, where the Obama administration has seen Manila as an important ally in its "rebalance" of resources to Asia in the face of a rising China.

    The administration agreed a deal with Duterte's predecessor granting U.S. forces rotational access to bases in the Philippines and further doubts will be raised about the future of this arrangement.

    In Washington, the U.S. State Department said it was "baffled" by Duterte's comments and would seek an explanation when Daniel Russel, the top U.S. diplomat for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, visits Manila this weekend.

    "We are going to be seeking an explanation of exactly what the president meant when he talked about separation from the U.S.," said State Department spokesman John Kirby. "It's not clear to us exactly what that means in all its ramifications."

    Both the State Department and the White House portrayed Duterte's comments as being at odds with the close, long-standing alliance between the two countries. They said Washington would welcome closer ties between Beijing and Manila, however.

    "The U.S.-Philippine alliance is built on a 70-year history, rich people to people ties and a long list of shared security concerns," White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters, noting that the administration has not received any request from Filipino officials to alter bilateral cooperation.

    A few hours after Duterte's speech, his top economic policymakers released a statement saying that, while Asian economic integration was "long overdue", that did not mean the Philippines was turning its back on the West.

     
    President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping review the guard of honor as they attend a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China, October 20, 2016. REUTERS/Thomas Peter
     

    "We will maintain relations with the West but we desire stronger integration with our neighbors," said Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez and Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia in a joint statement. "We share the culture and a better understanding with our region."

     

    RED CARPET WELCOME

    China has pulled out all the stops to welcome Duterte, including a marching band complete with baton-twirling band master at his official greeting ceremony outside the Great Hall of the People, which is not extended to most leaders.

    President Xi Jinping, meeting Duterte earlier in the day, called the visit a "milestone" in ties.

    Xi told Duterte that China and the Philippines were brothers and they could "appropriately handle disputes", though he did not mention the South China Sea in remarks made in front of reporters.

    "I hope we can follow the wishes of the people and use this visit as an opportunity to push China-Philippines relations back on a friendly footing and fully improve things," Xi said.

    Following their meeting, during which Duterte said relations with China had entered a new "springtime", Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin said the South China Sea issue was not the sum total of relations.

    "The two sides agreed that they will do what they agreed five years ago, that is to pursue bilateral dialogue and consultation in seeking a proper settlement of the South China Sea issue," Liu said.

    China claims most of the energy-rich South China Sea through which about $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every year. Neighbours Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also have claims.

    In 2012, China seized the disputed Scarborough Shoal and denied Philippine fishermen access to its fishing grounds.

    Liu said the shoal was not mentioned and he did not answer a question about whether Philippine fishermen would be allowed there. He said both countries had agreed on coastguard and fisheries cooperation, but did not give details.

     

    SEA DISPUTE TAKES 'BACK SEAT'

     

  6. A qualifier from the Phils DFA:

    Wait for guidelines on Duterte's speech

    October 21, 20162:34pm
     
    Reuters
     

    The Philippines has urged the public to wait for guidelines before interpreting President Rodrigo Duterte's announcement in Beijing that Manila will separate from the United States.

    "There is no rush for us to interpret the speech of the president as we have to wait for guidelines that would be coming from him, from the Department of Foreign Affairs, as soon as they come back," said Maria Banaag, assistant secretary at the presidential communications office.

    Duterte announced his "separation" from the United States on Thursday, declaring he had realigned with China as the two agreed to resolve their South China Sea dispute through talks.

    Duterte made his comments in Beijing, where he was visiting with at least 200 business people to pave the way for what he calls a new commercial alliance as relations with longtime ally Washington deteriorate.

  7. Visiting China Dudirty emphasized his Chinese 'blood'. Here the break with the U.S.

    ‘Time to say goodbye,’ Duterte tells US during visit to China

    Agence France-Presse / 04:46 AM October 20, 2016
    ‘Time to say goodbye,’ Duterte tells US during visit to China
     
    ‘Time to say goodbye,’ Duterte tells US during visit to China
     

    Beijing, China – Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said it was “time to say goodbye” to the US during a visit to China on Wednesday, as the combative leader reconfigures his country’s diplomatic alliances.

    Duterte is in China for a four-day trip that is expected to confirm his tilt away from Washington and towards Beijing’s sphere of influence.

    During a speech addressing the Filipino community in Beijing, the firebrand president said the Philippines had gained little from its long alliance with the US, its former colonial ruler.

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    “Your stay in my country was for your own benefit. So time to say goodbye, my friend,” he said, as if addressing the US.

    “I will not go to America anymore. I will just be insulted there,” he added, before once again referring to US President Barack Obama as a “son of a whore.”

    Duterte, who took office in late June, said he was fed up with the Philippines’ foreign policy being dictated by a Western agenda.

    “What kept us from China was not our own making. I will charter a new course,” he said.

    Foreign policy under Duterte has dramatically shifted from that pursued under predecessor Benigno Aquino III, who took Beijing to an international tribunal over its extensive territorial claims in the South China Sea and won a resounding victory.

    The move infuriated Beijing. But Duterte, who took office in June shortly before the tribunal ruling, has made a point of not flaunting the outcome.

    He has also suspended joint US-Philippine patrols in the South China Sea, and has threatened an end to joint military exercises.

    Manila ‘a pawn’

    The South China Sea is of intense interest to Washington and it has repeatedly spoken out on the various territorial disputes between China and its neighbours over the strategically vital waters.

    Tensions have risen between the US and China over Washington’s so-called “pivot” to the Asia-Pacific, a move that Beijing says is intended to contain it.

    Duterte will meet top leaders including President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Keqiang during his stay.

    Hours before he spoke, Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying told a regular briefing that Beijing was pleased to move towards resolving the territorial dispute “through consultation and dialogue”.

    “Anyone who truly wishes for peace, stability, development and prosperity in the Asia Pacific” should welcome Duterte’s visit, she said.

    In an editorial Wednesday, China’s nationalist Global Times newspaper said Washington had treated Manila “as a pawn,” adding Duterte was now “redesigning Philippine foreign policy based on Philippine interests.”

    Duterte has said his China trip will focus on promoting economic ties.

    The Philippines is hoping, among other things, that Beijing will repeal a ban on imports of its bananas – an economic sanction intended to punish Manila for its South China Sea stance.

    Hua said Wednesday announcements on infrastructure cooperation and economic development projects could be expected during the Philippine leader’s visit.

    Drug war

    As Duterte has cosied up to Beijing, he has repeatedly denounced the United States for criticising the deadly war on crime he instigated upon taking office.

    Last month Duterte sparked a diplomatic storm when he branded Obama a “son of a whore” after being told the US president would raise the rights concerns at an Asia meeting.

    Beijing, meanwhile, has enthusiastically endorsed Duterte’s war on drugs, which has seen more than 3,700 people killed and led the International Criminal Court to warn that those responsible could face charges.

    Hua said Wednesday that the two sides were already in close communication about cooperating on drug control and anti-crime issues.

    China has also offered to train some Filipino cadets in “anti-illegal drug and VIP security protection,” according to Senior Supt. Ramon Purugganan, deputy director of intelligence with the Philippine National Police (PNP).

  8. Duterte underlining his alliance with former dictator's Marcos clan and announcing another assault on the constitutional order:

     

    Duterte’s introduction of Marcos as VP troubling–Senator Aquino

    Philippine Daily Inquirer / 05:19 AM October 21, 2016
    Duterte introduces Bongbong as possible new VP
     
    Duterte introduces Bongbong as possible new VP
     

    Bacolod City—Sen. Bam Aquino said on Thursday that President Duterte’s introduction of former Sen.  Bongbong Marcos to the Filipino community in Beijing, China, as the next vice president was “troubling” and should be viewed as a clear “call for action.”

    “Personally as somebody who supported the Vice President [Leni Robredo], it’s very troubling to me that that is the way he introduced him,” Aquino said.

    “I don’t know, maybe they will say again that President Duterte was just joking,” Aquino added.

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    Aquino said the recount of votes in the vice presidential race should be watched closely, to prevent her victory being stolen from Robredo, who beat Marcos by a narrow margin of just over 200,000 votes.

     

    ‘Call for action’

    “I think it’s a call for all of us to be vigilant. In fact, it seems people have forgotten that there is a protest, but maybe that’s a call to action for us to look at it more thoroughly,” he said.

    President Duterte introduced Marcos as his second in command during a speech in the Chinese capital of Beijing, where he is on a state visit. Marcos, who was accompanied by sister Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos, joined the President on the stage, and the President’s introduction was warmly received by the crowd.

    “Bongbong could be our new vice president if he wins his protest,” said Mr. Duterte, who recently revealed he received campaign funds from Imee Marcos.

    Mr. Duterte has been a staunch supporter of the Marcos family, and has been pushing for a hero’s burial for the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, whose body lies in a glass crypt in Ilocos Norte.

     

    Divisive issue

    Activists who were jailed and tortured during martial law have petitioned the Supreme Court to stop the burial, in a divisive issue nearly 30 years since the strongman died.

    “I am hopeful that they will make the right decision and decide not to bury former President Marcos at Libingan ng mga Bayani,” said Aquino, who said that several other senators were also opposed to idea.

     

    Reforms implemented

    Asked how he would rate the President’s performance in his first 100 days, Aquino admitted the Duterte administration had implemented many reforms.

    But he voiced concerns about the deaths of suspected drug addicts and dealers in the hands of vigilantes and Mr. Duterte’s troubling foreign policy pronouncements.

  9. Dudirty on Aljazeera. It is hard to listen to the BS for about 20 min. I wonder how brain damaged pinoys must be to follow his speeches for hours. Excellent material for psycho students first year.

    http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/talktojazeera/2016/10/exclusive-rodrigo-duterte-war-drugs-161015100325799.html

     

    Rodrigo Duterte

    Rodrigo Duterte interview: Death, drugs and diplomacy

    In an exclusive interview, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte discusses his war on drugs and foreign policy.

    16 Oct 2016 13:06 GMTRodrigo Duterte, Philippines

     

    It's been about 100 days into the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte. 

    Since he took power, the Philippine president has overseen the killing of more than 3,500 people in his war on drugs, offended world leaders and strained relations with the US.

    In an exclusive first interview since he was sworn in, we talk to Duterte about his controversial war on drugs and foreign policy - including deteriorating relations with the United States and potentially warming relations with China.

    "We have three million drug addicts, and it's growing. So if we do not interdict this problem, the next generation will be having a serious problem ... You destroy my country, I'll kill you. And it's a legitimate thing. If you destroy our young children, I will kill you. That is a very correct statement. There is nothing wrong in trying to preserve the interest of the next generation." 

    But Duterte admits that children and innocent people have also been killed in the bloody crackdown, and promises to investigate these extrajudicial killings, but he also calls them "collateral damage".

    When asked about the contested South China Sea, the Philippine president says:

    "We will not give up anything there; it's an entitlement ... You can only negotiate to prevent a war ... They invited me for talks, and I will go."

  10. Things start getting tighter for Dudirty

     

    ICC to closely monitor PH for killings under antidrug campaign

    Philippine Daily Inquirer / 12:03 PM October 14, 2016
    Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gestures during his address to a Filipino business sector in suburban Pasay city south of Manila, Philippines Thursday, Oct. 13, 2016. Duterte has been under criticism by international human rights groups, the United Nations, European Union and the United States for the more than 3,000 deaths of mostly suspected drug-users and drug-pushers in his so-called "War on Drugs" campaign since assuming the presidency on June 30. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

    Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte gestures during his address to a Filipino business sector in suburban Pasay city south of Manila, Philippines Thursday, Oct. 13, 2016. Duterte has been under criticism by international human rights groups, the United Nations, European Union and the United States for the more than 3,000 deaths of mostly suspected drug-users and drug-pushers in his so-called “War on Drugs” campaign since assuming the presidency on June 30. AP

    MANILA—The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday said her office would begin to “closely” monitor the developments in the Philippines, raising concern over  alleged extrajudicial killings that “may have led to over 3,000 deaths in the past three months.”

    “Let me be clear: any person in the Philippines who incites or engages in acts of mass violence, including by ordering, requesting, encouraging or contributing, in any other manner, to the commission of crimes within the jurisdiction of the ICC, is potentially liable to prosecution before the Court,” ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said in a statement.

    “My Office, in accordance with its mandate under the Rome Statute, will be closely following developments in the Philippines in the weeks to come and record any instance of incitement or resort to violence with a view to assessing whether a preliminary examination into the situation of the Philippines needs to be opened,” she said.

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    On Thursday night, President Rodrigo Duterte defended his administration’s anti-drugs campaign at a Philippine Business Conference (PBC) event in Pasay City, saying “it is not a crime to threaten criminals with death.”

    Stressing that he was unafraid of world leaders and international organizations, Duterte said “they cannot be brighter” than him, and that he could outsmart them if they come to the Philippines to look into the spate of killings attributed to his government.

    READ: Duterte: US, UN, EU not brighter than me; I’ll shame them

    Once again, he expressed dismay at how the international community has responded to the administration’s move to ensure peace and order in society, saying they do not understand the country’s situation.

    Duterte said he had written letters to those accusing him of threatening criminals with death, such as United States President Barack Obama, US Secretary of State John Kerry, the United Nations, the UN Human Rights Commission and the European Union.

    “So I will have to ask you questions after questioning me. Sige, punta kayo dito. Paikutin ko kayo dito ng kamay ko and I’ll play with you… I am very sure, very sure, they cannot be brighter than me… Maniwala kayo. Ay sus. Paikutin kita,” President Duterte said.

    In her statement, Bensouda said that the Philippines is a State Party to the ICC since Nov. 1, 2011, giving the Court “jurisdiction over genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes committed on the territory or by nationals of the Philippines,” from the day the country entered the Statute.

    In a five-paragraph statement posted on the ICC website, Bensouda said she was “deeply concerned about these alleged killings and the fact that public statements of high officials of the Republic of the Philippines seem to condone such killings and further seem to encourage State forces and civilians alike to continue targeting these individuals with lethal force.”

    “Extrajudicial killings may fall under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court if they are committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population pursuant to a State policy to commit such an attack,” she said. CDG/rga

  11. I feel your pain. I once bought a sticker for good money from Sun. Problem was that there was hardly any coverage where I wanted to use it. Sun sucks.

     

    In Phils I use smart for calls now which seems a bit better in areas where I go. For the interested reader: JB300 and I are not talking about deep valleys high in the mountains, we talk about downtown areas.

     

    The Scarborough area is contested territory. Seems Duterte is working hard to get himself a fat Bank of China account in Shanghai. He might also like the Chinese more than Americans since for Dudirty it is all a matter of size and what I heard from pinays locals do not really measure up. Being presidential is unlikely to make much difference in that department.

  12. The Phils won an international case. Duterte gives up rights without need or immediate compensation. Very surprising given his jingoist talk.

     

    As for the bad coverage in the Phils. This is not a technical problem. It has something to do with regulation and the political non-system. Improving the regulatory body would run counter Dudirty's strategy of destroying governmental structures not owned by him. Bringing in Chinese would be a sweet deal for him personally along the lines of his bribe-taking.

  13. The Phils government, including the Foreign Affairs and Justice Depts., tells the world that it has not the slightest idea to which treaties the country is party and what obligations and associated procedures it involves.

     

    Palace letter to UN probers: Allow Duterte to ask questions first

    LETTER SENT TO WORLD BODY
    INQUIRER.net / 08:02 PM October 12, 2016

     

    The United Nations (UN) officials who will come to the Philippines to investigate alleged extrajudicial killings should be able to answer questions from President Rodrigo Duterte under oath.

    “Since it is this administration that is maligned as being behind these extrajudicial killings, due process requires that the President of the Philippines Republic, be given the opportunity to propound his own questions which every nation recognizes,” the letter sent to the UN read.

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    “It would be best to put everyone to whom questions are directed to swear under oath that the answers and/or responses they give are the truth and nothing but the truth,” the letter added.

    The letter, signed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, was dated September 28.

    Duterte earlier accepted the challenge of the UN to investigate alleged extrajudicial killings under his administration provided they follow Philippine laws and they will also be subjected to questioning.

    Medialdea said allowing the President to question the UN officials would “fortify his right to due process”

    “I suppose that that would further fortify his right to due process which requires that the party against whom a charge is levelled, is accorded the opportunity to propound his own questions to whomever he deems appropriate, including your good self,” Medialdea said.

    The executive secretary said Duterte was interested to know the “motive for the investigation, and why the focus is on the Philippines.”

    “After all, the party charged is entitled to know the motive for the investigation, and why the focus is on the Philippines when there are other nations responsible for the death of innocent and defenseless individuals elsewhere in the world. Those are extrajudicial killings too, are they not?” he said.

  14. The flipper Maoists are supporting Duterte (see the first article), the reasons for this is in posted article 2, Duterte's reasons are in article 3. It seems that Dudirty aka Davao Adolf is following Thaksin's money making strategies in the telecom sector. I wonder how much the Chinese pay him for the double sell-out.

     

     

    1)

    Left will be a reliable Duterte ally, says NDFP’s Jalandoni

    Philippine Daily Inquirer / 04:52 AM October 12, 2016
    Jalandoni

    Jalandoni

    OSLO—The Left will be a reliable ally of President Duterte in protecting Philippine sovereignty and patrimony, a senior communist leader said on Monday.

    Luis Jalandoni, a senior adviser to the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), said Mr. Duterte’s criticisms of US intervention could lead to threats that might affect the stability of the Philippines.

    “The Left will be a reliable ally to the Duterte administration in fighting against US imperialist threats and other antipeople forces,” Jalandoni said.

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    The Duterte administration and the NDFP concluded a second round of peace talks here on Monday, with high hopes of prisoners of war being released and a bilateral ceasefire being signed this month.
    Socialist
    Mr. Duterte, who describes himself as a socialist, rants almost daily against the United States, United Nations and European Union because of their criticism of his brutal war on illegal drugs.

    He has said this week’s joint military exercises with the United States would be the last of his presidency. He has also threatened to expel US forces from Mindanao and to sever relations with the United States and seek closer ties with China and Russia.

    US defense officials have dismissed Mr. Duterte’s statements as “all bluster.”

    The Pentagon chief, Ash Carter, said last week that the US security commitment to the Philippines remained “ironclad.”

     

    2)

    Duterte says PH can’t win in Scarborough Shoal

    Philippine Daily Inquirer / 01:31 AM October 11, 2016

    SCARBOROUGH-SHOAL-1011President Duterte has a “good feeling” that the Philippines will be “OK” with China as long as the Filipinos do not make the Chinese froth at the mouth by claiming Scarborough Shoal.

    “We cannot win that,” he said in a speech to residents of Lamitan, Basilan province, on Monday, referring to the traditional fishing ground known to Filipinos as Panatag Shoal that China seized from the Philippines after a two-month maritime standoff in 2012.

    Without military muscle to fight for Panatag, the Philippines sued China in the UN-backed Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, asking the court to invalidate Beijing’s claim to nearly all of the South China Sea and demanding Manila’s right to fish and explore for resources in waters within its 370-kilometer exclusive economic zone (EEZ) be respected.

    ADVERTISEMENT
     
    Jet ski to Spratlys

    On April 8, presidential candidate Rodrigo Duterte told a news conference in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan province, that, if elected, he would protect Philippine territory and he was willing to be blasted into pieces for it.

    “I will ask the Navy to deliver me to the nearest area tolerable to them and I will ride a jet ski and carry a pole and a flag. When I reach the Spratlys I will erect the Philippine flag,” he said.

    “You want to shoot me with your missile, fine,” he added, referring to the Chinese.

    He repeated his pledge during a presidential debate organized by ABS-CBN on April 24.

    On July 12, the Hague court ruled in favor of the Philippines, saying China’s claims in the South China Sea had no legal basis and that Beijing had violated Manila’s sovereignty by preventing it from fishing and exploring for resources in waters within its EEZ.

    Panatag is for all

    The court, however, ruled that Panatag Shoal, which does not generate an EEZ, is a common fishing ground—meaning all the claimants can fish there.

    But China rejected the ruling. It has cordoned off Panatag and drives Filipino fishermen away from the shoal.

    On Monday, President Duterte, who is visiting China from Oct. 19 to 21 to begin mending ties between the two countries that have been frayed by the dispute, said a key strategy of his China initiative was not to make an issue of the tribunal’s ruling.

    “I have a good feeling that we will be OK with them. But first let’s not touch the Scarborough Shoal issue because we cannot win that,” he said.

    “Even if we get angry, we’ll just be putting on airs. We can’t beat [China]. We’ll ask them to allow our fishermen to [return] to their traditional fishing ground in Scarborough,” he said.

    Mr. Duterte said he had already agreed to “this concession” in return for China’s relaxing its quarantine restrictions on banana and pineapple exports from the Philippines.

    Help for Basilan

    He promised the people of Basilan his administration would make up for the government’s neglect of the war-torn island if he got a windfall from his China visit.

    “I have a good feeling they (China) really want to help us in a big way. If I get something big, I promise you I will build hospitals and schools from the soft-term loans we will get (from China). If there is anything left, I will use it to help you build a power plant,” he told the residents of Lamitan.

    He said the power plant, which would be powered by sea waves, would be a catalyst for change in the lives of the people of Basilan.

    Mr. Duterte gave P10 million in seed money for livelihood projects of coconut farmers in Lamitan and Isabel towns whose farms had been ravaged by cocolisap.

    He also handed out 70 motorized, fiber glass fishing boats; seven farm tractors; rice and corn seedlings and fertilizer.

     

    3)

    Duterte to telcos: Shape up, or else…

    Philippine Daily Inquirer / 02:22 AM October 09, 2016
    President Rodrigo Duterte.  AP FILE Photo

    President Rodrigo Duterte. AP FILE Photo

    President Duterte threatened to open the local telecommunications industry to Chinese competitors if the country’s mobile phone duopoly—

    PLDT-Smart Communications of Manuel V. Pangilinan and Globe Telecom of the Ayala Group—fails to improve its atrocious services.

    In a speech in Davao City, Mr. Duterte said he shared the frustration of millions of mobile phone users in the Philippines, who complain of poor phone service and slow internet speeds.

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    Mr. Duterte said oftentimes he would “wait until the next day before I get a reply” to his text messages.

    Competition

    “I’m just suffering all of this but if you cannot do it right, you wait, I’m going to China and I’ll open everything for competition,” said President Duterte. He is scheduled to visit China from October 18 to 21.

    Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said that PLDT-Smart and Globe should take seriously the President’s warning because “he talks like that only when he is really frustrated.”

    Last May, San Miguel Corp. abandoned its plan to emerge as the third player to break the telecommunication duopoly when it sold its cell sites and a 700-Megahertz spectrum to PLDT-Smart and Globe. This is a type of low-band frequency with an ability to cover wide spaces and penetrate walls at a lower cost.

    READ: SMC sells telco assets to PLDT, Globe

    The Philippine Competition Commission sought to investigate the deal but it was blocked by the Court of Appeals.

    Andanar said Malacanang would wait how PLDT-Smart and Globe would deploy San Miguel’s assets to improve services.

    But if they fail to shape up, Andanar said the Department of Information and Communications Technology can put up a state-owned telecommunications firm to compete with them and build cellular sites in areas not currently served. They can also tap a third player to increase the competition.

    “We want to have a vibrant competition and end the two-player competition which is why it is called a duopoly,” said Andanar.

     

  15. World News | Fri Sep 30, 2016 | 3:34pm EDT

    Philippines' Duterte likens himself to Hitler, wants to kill millions of drug users

     
    Philippines president likens himself to Hitler
    01:05
     
    •  
    •  
    •  
    •  
    By Karen Lema and Manuel Mogato | MANILA

    Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte appeared to liken himself to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler on Friday and said he would "be happy" to exterminate three million drug users and peddlers in the country.

    His comments triggered shock and anger among Jewish groups in the United States, which could add to pressure on the U.S. government to take a tougher line with the Philippines leader.

    Duterte recently insulted President Barack Obama and in a number of remarks he has undermined the previously close relationship between Manila and Washington.

    In a rambling speech on his arrival in Davao City after a visit to Vietnam, Duterte told reporters that he had been "portrayed to be a cousin of Hitler" by critics.

    Noting that Hitler had murdered millions of Jews, Duterte said, "There are three million drug addicts (in the Philippines). I'd be happy to slaughter them."

    "If Germany had Hitler, the Philippines would have ...," he said, pausing and pointing to himself.

    "You know my victims. I would like (them) to be all criminals to finish the problem of my country and save the next generation from perdition."

    Duterte was voted to power in a May election on the back of a vow to end drugs and corruption in the country of 100 million people. He took office on June 30 and over 3,100 people have been killed since then, mostly alleged drug users and dealers, in police operations and vigilante killings.

    Duterte's comments were quickly condemned by Jewish groups.

    Rabbi Abraham Cooper, head of the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Digital Terrorism and Hate project, called them "outrageous".

    "Duterte owes the victims (of the Holocaust) an apology for his disgusting rhetoric," Cooper said.

     
    Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte gestures during a news conference upon his arrival from a state visit in Vietnam at the International Airport in Davao city, Philippines September 30, 2016. REUTERS/Lean Daval Jr
     

    The Anti-Defamation League, an international Jewish group based in the United States, said Duterte's comments were "shocking for their tone-deafness".

    "The comparison of drug users and dealers to Holocaust victims is inappropriate and deeply offensive," said Todd Gutnick, the group's director of communications. "It is baffling why any leader would want to model himself after such a monster."

    United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said any use of "the Holocaust and the suffering of the Holocaust in comparison to anything else, frankly, is inappropriate and needs to be rejected." He said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon had made clear that the fight against illegal drugs must be done "in accordance with human rights standards."

    State Department spokesman Mark Toner called Duterte's remarks "troubling."

    "America's ... partnership with the Philippines is ... based on a mutual foundation of shared values and that includes our shared belief in human rights and human dignity," Toner said.

    "President Duterte's comments are a significant departure from that tradition and we find them troubling."

    A White House official stuck to a strategy of stressing long-standing ties with Manila, saying, "We continue to focus on our broad relationship with the Philippines and will work together in the many areas of mutual interest."

     

    EX-PRESIDENT'S WARNING

    Two days before the Philippines election, outgoing President Benigno Aquino had warned that Duterte's rising popularity was akin to that of Hitler in the 1920s and 1930s.

    Duterte has been scathing about criticism of his anti-drugs campaign and has insulted the United Nations and the European Union, as well as Obama, at various times in recent weeks.

    On Friday, reacting to critical comments on his war on drugs by U.S. Senators Patrick Leahy and Benjamin Cardin, Duterte said: "Do not pretend to be the moral conscience of the world. Do not be the policeman because you do not have the eligibility to do that in my country."

    He also reiterated there will be no annual war games between the Philippines and the United States until the end of his six-year term, placing the longstanding alliance under a cloud of doubt. It also may make Washington's strategy of rebalancing its military focus toward Asia in the face of an increasingly assertive China much more difficult to achieve.

    Still, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter, speaking before the latest remarks from Duterte, said Washington had an "ironclad" alliance with Manila.

    A senior U.S. defense official, also speaking earlier, told reporters that the United States had a long enduring relationship with the Philippines regardless of who was president.

    Murray Hiebert, a Southeast Asia expert at the Center for International and Strategic Studies think tank in Washington, said Obama was "taking the long view" in dealing with Duterte. Obama leaves office in January.

    Malcolm Cook, a senior fellow at Singapore's ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, said the U.S-Philippines alliance was not necessarily at risk, but Washington could seek to focus on ties elsewhere in the region.

    "We are all in some sense becoming, by necessity, desensitized to Duterte's language," he said.

    "Diplomatically, the U.S. would say they'll continue to work with him and the alliance is strong. But it's whether they'll continue to strengthen that alliance or not."

     

    (Additional reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee, Yeganeh Torbati in San Diego, Marius Zaharia in Singapore, Michelle Nichols at the United Nations, Jeff Mason in Jerusalem, and David Brunnstrom and Matt Spetalnick in Washington; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan, Toni Reinhold)

  16. The report is missing a key element. The pirates dont flee to Phils waters because they like to take a cruise. Phils islands are their home base and despite all tough talking Phils politicians before and now Dudirty they Phils have no control over their territory. Worse, the only significant success against those gangs came when MNLF (Moro National Liberation Front) forces started an offensive against them. In others words, the strongest Muslim faction took care of the problem with the Phils forces standby scratching their b... with their unwashed hands.

    The announcement is also an admission by Dudirty that he much talked about strong measures in the Sulu archipelago are far from showing results.

     

    Let's home less people get kidnapped and murdered.

     

    I wonder when journalist start mounting their microphones close to Dudirty's butt. The sounds produced there wont make less sense and from the other foul opening.

  17. How old is your gf? The phils pride themselves of having prevented thousands of cases of trafficking in girls. They consider each refused exit a successfully prevented crime.... I guess she is over the 23 yrs limit. They suspect she is a hooker or something else not really nice. She could go to the immigration office to get an exit clearance. Maybe that helps.

     

    Also: She could buy herself a return ticket to Hongkong, together with a hotel reservation for the time period. Then fly from their to BKK. Problem: You do not know what is in the memo field of immigration.

     

    So best will be to visit local Phils immigration (hopefully not in Manila) and see what they say.

     

     

    Siam2007, hey, dont say bad things about the GDR. They had a functioning public transport, hospitals, pension system, universities, Schonefeld airport is still in use, etc. Go to the Phils and start looking for that. In short: the GDR would be paradise for pinoys. Honecker looked good compared with Duterte.

    For the travel problems: Most of the pinoys will never ever come close to owning a passport. GDR citizens were the nightmare of Bulgarian beaches while their FRG  cousins successfully ruined Spain (and Franco deserved it...).

     

  18. Washington Post.

    The claim is a familiar technique used by politicians in the Phils. Make some claim and do not worry about the facts. The goal is simple: Dominate headlines and deflect from other, negative, news.

     

     

     

     

     

    Philippine President Duterte said he’d be sitting next to Obama at dinner. He isn’t.

     
     
     
     
    By Adam Taylor September 7 at 11:28 AM
    05528810.jpg&w=1484
    President Obama, second from left, and Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, second from right, look on from the podium before the Association of Southeast Asian Nations gala dinner in Vientiane, Laos, on Sept. 7. (Ritchie B. Tongo/European Pressphoto Agency)

    Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte looked set for a potentially awkward dinner Wednesday, with widespread reports suggesting he would be seated between two men he had recently insulted.

    Worse still, these men happen to be two of the most important politicians in the world.

    Representatives of the Philippine leader, notorious for both his campaign against drug traffickers and his frequent use of obscenities, had told reporters early Wednesday that he was due to be seated between President Obama and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) gala dinner hosted by Laotian Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith in Vientiane on Thursday evening.

    Despite these claims, images from the dinner quickly revealed that Duterte was not, in fact, seated next to Obama or Ban.

    After all the hype, Obama does not sit next to Duterte at #ASEAN2016 dinner. He's chatting to Vietnam PM's wife pic.twitter.com/yWKab6hlA4

    — Karl Malakunas (@karlmalakunas) September 7, 2016

     

    Duterte not seated beside Obama, Ban Ki-Moon during ASEAN Summit gala dinner pic.twitter.com/cqpd72gUl2

    — Trisha Macas (@trishamacas) September 7, 2016

     

    Ban, Obama, and Duterte are seated apart in ASEAN gala dinner pic.twitter.com/7MdOOF66Gn

    — Willard Cheng (@willardcheng) September 7, 2016

     

    The apparent move may have saved Duterte some awkward small talk and Philippine officials later told the Associated Press said that Obama and Duterte did speak informally at the event.

    However, it remains unclear why the Philippine president thought he would be sitting next to Obama and Ban.

    Just a few days ago, Duterte had used the Tagalog term "putang ina" in threatening to curse Obama if he raised the issue of extrajudicial killings in the Philippines' fight against drug dealers. That phrase means "son of a bitch" or "son of a whore." Shortly after the comments were reported, the White House canceled a scheduled meeting with Duterte. The Philippine president later said that he regretted that his comments "came across as a personal attack."

    Duterte has also criticized Ban for his comments about the extrajudicial killings, and last month he threatened to pull the Philippines out of the United Nations, saying that the organization had made a "very stupid" proposition. Again, the Philippine president later said he was only joking, but this week, Duterte said he would not meet with the U.N. secretary general at the ASEAN summit as he had "no time."

    Early Wednesday, however, Duterte's press service announced that the Philippine president would meet both of these men for the first time at a dinner that evening — because he would be seated next to them.

    "Presidents Duterte and Obama will be seated next to each other, which expectedly, will focus all cameras on them to deliver to the world the encounter of the two. Incidentally, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is also seated on the other side of President Duterte," the president's office said in a statement, according to Rappler.

    Asked how the meeting with Duterte and Obama might go down, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar told reporters:  "It's difficult to speculate, but certainly they will have their drinks and food together."

     

  19. Now it is Obama's mistake. Obviously, the Americans know nothing about the English language and are collectively retarded as is the rest of the world.

     

    The highlighted sections shows what the Duterte crowd thinks and tries to project. It is a cult/clan beyond reason.

     

    Duterte voices regrets for insult on Obama

    Panelo says US misread hyperbole

     

    Philippine Daily Inquirer

    12:03 AM September 7th, 2016

     

    VIENTIANE—With the sleeves of his barong tagalog rolled up and hands in pant pockets, a contrite President Duterte debuted on Tuesday at the annual Asean summit overshadowed by his “putang ina” remark directed at US President Barack Obama.

    Mr. Duterte’s “son of a bitch” remark prompted the White House to cancel his meeting with Obama on Tuesday.

    Other male leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) were dressed in business suits at the National Convention Center in the Laotian capital of Vientiane. Mr. Duterte rolled his sleeves down and buttoned them in the way the shirt is worn on formal occasions when Laotian President Bounnhang Vorachith gave a speech to open the summit.

     

    In a statement earlier read by presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella, Mr. Duterte expressed “regret” for expletive-laden remarks he made on Monday before he departed Davao City for the summit.

    “While the immediate cause was my strong comments to certain press questions that elicited concern and distress, we also regret it came across as a personal attack on the US President,” the President said.

    “Our primary intention is to chart an independent foreign policy while promoting closer ties with all nations, especially the United States with which we have had a long standing partnership,” he said.

    After Washington called off Tuesday’s bilateral meeting between the two leaders, 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,” the Philippine government said in one statement.

    “He (President Duterte) regrets that his remarks to the press have caused much controversy,” it added.

    “He expressed his deep regard and affinity for President Obama and for the enduring partnership between our nations.”

    ‘Misreading’

    The presidential chief legal counsel, Salvador Panelo, accused the US government of “misreading” Mr. Duterte’s comments.

    “Don’t put meaning to that. That’s just his style. It’s just a hyperbole,” Panelo told reporters. “It’s just an expression. I don’t think it was directed to President Obama.”

    In a separate statement, Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said Mr. Duterte wanted to reassure the United States that his administration “continues to value the alliance” between the two countries.

    Opening address

    In his opening address, the Laotian president outlined “multifaceted security challenges” in many parts of the world—such as terrorism and extremism, natural disasters, climate change, migration crisis, trafficking in people, territorial disputes and armed conflicts.

    “At the same time, although the global economy has gradually recovered, growth remains slow and fragile,” he said. “There is a need for us to closely follow these developments and continue to enhance Asean cooperation and collaboration with the international community.”

    Asean comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Burma (Myanmar), Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

    The summit will be followed by a series of other meetings on Wednesday and a summit on Thursday between leaders from Asean and other countries, including the United States, China, Russia, India, South Korea, Japan, Australia and New Zealand.

    Obama arrived in Vientiane on Monday night and will attend Thursday’s summit.

    Mr. Duterte also arrived on Monday night. But hours earlier, he dropped a diplomatic bombshell by saying he doesn’t want Obama to ask him questions about extrajudicial killings that have occurred amid an ongoing crackdown on drug dealers in the Philippines. More than 2,000 people have been killed in the crackdown since he took office on June 30.

    In his typical loose-tongued style, Mr. Duterte said: “I do not have any master except the Filipino people, nobody but nobody. You must be respectful. Do not just throw questions. Putang ina, I will swear at you in that forum,” he said, using the Tagalog phrase for “son of a bitch.”

    On Tuesday, Mr. Duterte expressed regret over the remarks, but the damage was already done.

    DFA still hoping

    The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson, Assistant Secretary Charles Jose, said the Philippine delegation was still pushing for the bilateral meeting between Obama and Mr. Duterte.

    “Schedules are tight, but there are still occasions for the two leaders to meet here in Laos during the Asean summit. We’re working for that to happen,” Jose said in a text message on Tuesday to the Inquirer.

    Mr. Duterte is also planning to ask China’s premier at the Vientiane meetings whether China is trying to develop a disputed reef, Scarborough Shoal, off the Philippines’ northwestern coast, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said.

    The shoal is part of the larger dispute in the South China Sea between China and some Asean countries. An international arbitration panel recently ruled that China’s expansive claims in the sea are illegal. Beijing has rejected the ruling as a sham.

    Although Asean has the power of the ruling behind it, its summit is unlikely to mention it in its final declaration, a reflection of Beijing’s diplomatic clout.

    Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte addresses delegates of the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, a parallel summit in the ongoing 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits and other related summits Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016 in Vientiane, Laos. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

    Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte addresses delegates of the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit, a parallel summit in the ongoing 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits and other related summits Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016 in Vientiane, Laos. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

    But according to a draft of the final statement Asean is scheduled to release on Thursday, the region’s leaders will express strong concern about Beijing’s construction of man-made islands in the South China Sea, which Southeast Asian countries fear could destabilize the region.

    Chinese barges

    Mr. Duterte said last week that the Philippine Coast Guard had sighted Chinese barges at Scarborough, which he said could presage the transformation of the Chinese-held reef into another man-made island. One of the Chinese vessels had what appeared to be a crane, according to a Philippine official.

    China sparked widespread alarm when it converted seven reefs in the Spratly Islands into islands that the United States says could be transformed into military bases. With reports from AP and Estrella Torres in Manila

  20. my pleasure

     

    here something new from Reuters. I have highlighted one line which indicates the Phils government's strategy and attempt to keep face. These guys are either totally stupid or simply in a way shameless that would even make a Nana hooker blush.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    World News | Tue Sep 6, 2016 6:34am EDT

    Philippines scrambles to soothe tensions after insult to Obama

    By Roberta Rampton and Manuel Mogato | VIENTIANE

    (Note: paragraphs 1, 6 and 19 contain language that may offend some readers)

     

    The Philippines scrambled to defuse a row with the United States on Tuesday and its new president, Rodrigo Duterte, voiced regret for calling President Barack Obama a "son of a bitch", comments that prompted Washington to call off a bilateral meeting.

    The tiff between the two allies overshadowed the opening of a summit of East and Southeast Asian nations in Laos.

    It also soured Obama's last swing as president through a region he has tried to make a focus of U.S. foreign policy, a strategy widely seen as a response to China's economic and military muscle-flexing.

    He said in a speech as the summit got under way that his push to make the United States a key player in Asia-Pacific was not some "passing fad".

    However, diplomats say strains with longtime ally the Philippines could compound Washington's difficulties in forging a united front with Southeast 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".

    After Washington called off Tuesday's bilateral meeting between Obama and Duterte in response, the Philippines issued two statements expressing regret.

     
    U.S. President Barack Obama walks to honour guard during a welcoming ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Vientiane, Laos September 6, 2016. REUTERS/Jorge Silva
     

    "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 in one statement.

    "He regrets that his remarks to the press have caused much controversy," it added. "He expressed his deep regard and affinity for President Obama and for the enduring partnership between our nations."

    The White House had earlier said Obama would not pull any punches on his concerns about human rights abuses in the Philippines, its treaty ally, when meeting Duterte.

    Instead of the Duterte meeting, Obama plans to hold talks with South Korean President Park Geun-hye, said Ned Price, spokesman for the White House National Security Council - a meeting where the response to North Korea's latest missile tests is expected to be on the agenda.

    A Philippines official who declined to be named said there would be no formal meeting rescheduled in Laos but a short 'pull-aside' conversation between the two presidents was still possible.

     

    MOVES TO SOOTHE TENSIONS

    Obama arrived in the city of Vientiane late on Monday for the first visit by a sitting U.S. president to Laos, where he wants to begin to address the legacy of U.S. bombing during the Vietnam War.

    He announced on Tuesday that Washington would provide an additional $90 million over the next three years to help Laos, heavily bombed during the Vietnam War, clear unexploded ordnance, which has killed or wounded more than 20,000 people.

     

    The unusually open tensions between the United States and the Philippines, its former colony, threaten to overshadow the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and East Asia Summits in Laos from Tuesday to Thursday.

    The 10-member ASEAN will also meet leaders of other regional powers: China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, Russia and the United States.

    Duterte won the presidency in May as he promised to suppress crime and wipe out drugs and drug dealers.

    About 900 people linked to drugs have been killed in police operations since July 1 and a further 1,500 have been classed as "deaths under investigation", a term human rights activists in the Philippines say is a euphemism for extrajudicial killings.

    Duterte has repeatedly poured scorn on critics, usually larding it with curses.

    He lambasted the United Nations after it criticized the surge in killings and he turned down a meeting with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at the Laos summit.

    In May, he called Pope Francis a "son of a whore", although he later apologized, and called U.S. Ambassador Philip Goldberg a "gay son of a whore".

    On Tuesday, Duterte met the leaders of Singapore, Japan and Vietnam.

    Manila has been aligned with the United States in its dispute with China over the South China Sea, in which Washington blames Beijing for militarizing a vital global trade route and jeopardizing freedom of movement at sea and in the air.

    China rejects those accusations and accuses the United States of ratcheting up tensions unnecessarily. China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of trade moves annually. Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam have rival claims.

    An arbitration court in The Hague in July invalidated China's territorial claims after a case was brought by the Philippines, a ruling Beijing refuses to recognize.

    Duterte said last month he expected all ASEAN members to support the arbitration court's ruling, but that the Philippines would not raise the issue in Laos.

     

    (Writing by John Chalmers, Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

  21. More on this subject in the Duterte watch thread. This document merits an own topic. Pretty unbelievable.

     

    TRANSCRIPT: Duterte on Obama

    Here is the official transcript of President Duterte's response to how he would address human rights questions that may be raised to him by US President Barack Obama at the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Laos

    Rappler.com
    Published 11:20 AM, September 06, 2016
    Updated 11:21 AM, September 06, 2016

     

    PRE-DEPARTURE PRESSCON. President Rodrigo Duterte holds a press conference at the Davao City International Airport prior to his departure for Laos to attend the ASEAN Summit on September 5, 2016. Photo by Manman Dejeto/AFPDEJETO
     
     
     

     

    PRE-DEPARTURE PRESSCON. President Rodrigo Duterte holds a press conference at the Davao City International Airport prior to his departure for Laos to attend the ASEAN Summit on September 5, 2016. Photo by Manman Dejeto/AFPDEJETO

     

    MANILA, Philippines – Before he boarded a flight to Vientiane, Laos, on Monday, September 5, President Rodrigo Duterte held a brief press conference at the Davao International Airport.

    Duterte was asked about how he would address possible questions that his fellow leaders might ask him on the Philippine human rights situation amid his war on drugs at the sidelines of his first international outing – the Association of Southast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit and related Summits.

    When Duterte asked who would bring up the human rights issue with him, a journalist mentioned US President Barack Obama. The White House had said that Obama intends to take up the matter with the Philippine leader at a then scheduled bilateral meeting at the sidelines of the summit.

    Duterte responded in usual blistering fashion, leading the US to cancel the one-on-one talks.

    Here is the official transcript of the President's press conference on questions related to Obama, as provided by the Malacañang press office.

    Q: Sir, there have been concerns on extrajudicial killings, Sir, and you will meet leaders. Any line of communication that we have prepared to address this issue in front of other foreign leaders?

    Duterte: Extrajudicial killings?

    Q: Yes, human rights.

    Duterte: To whom shall I address myself to and who will be asking the questions, may I know?

    Q: Like Obama, Sir.

    Duterte: You know, the Philippines is not a vassal state. We have long ceased to be a colony of the United States. Alam mo, marami diyan, sa mga kolumnista (You know, many of the columnists), they look upon Obama and the United States as if we are the lap dogs of this country. I do not respond to anybody but to the people of the Republic of the Philippines. Wala akong pakialam sa kanya (I don't care about him). Who is he? When as a matter of a fact, at a turn of the century, before the Americans left the Philippines in the pacification campaign of the Moro in this island, there were about 6 million ang population ng Moro. How many died? Six hundred. If he can answer that question and give the apology, I will answer him.

    I am not beholden to anybody. Iyong mga kolumnista diyan na (Those columnists who say), "Wait until he meets – " Who is he? I am a President of the sovereign state, and we have long ceased to be a colony. I do not have any master, except the Filipino people. Nobody but nobody.

    You must be respectful. Do not just throw away questions and statements. Putang-ina, mumurahin kita diyan sa forum na iyan. Huwag mo akong ganunin (Son of a whore, I'll curse you at that forum. Don't do anything like that to me). Tell that to everybody. Itong mga kolumnista, para ba akong tinatakot. Anak ka ng – umalis kayo diyan sa Pilipinas, pumunta kayo doon sa Amerika (These columnists, it's like they're threatening me. Son of a – leave the Philippines, go to America). You write kung ano sa ’yo (whatever you like) – you’re the lapdogs of this American. Who is he to confront me? As a matter of fact, America has one too many to answer for the misdeeds in this country. Hanggang ngayon hindi pa tayo nakatikim ng apology niyan (Up to this day, we have not received any apology from them). That is the reason why Mindanao continues to boil.

    Sabi mo, that was the last century, iyang wounds na iyan (You'll say that's from the last century; those wounds are) from generation to generation. As a matter of fact, we inherited this problem from the United States. Why? Because they invaded this country and made us their subjugated people. Everybody has a terrible record of extrajudicial killings. Why make an issue about fighting crime? Hindi nga niya maubus-ubos iyan sa Mexico border niya. Look at the human rights of America along that line, the way how they treat the migrants there. Masyado kayong bilib sa Amerika. Bumilib kayo dito sa atin – ano iyang Amerika? Siya ang mag-explain sa akin kung bakit ganoon extrajudicial killing nila (You're too impressed with America. Be impressed with the Philippines – America pales in comparison). Can he explain the 600,000 Moro massacred in this island? Do you want to see the pictures? Maybe, you’ll ask him, and make it public. We have a recorded history of that sordid period of our national life.

    Nobody but nobody can just – sino ka (who are you)? Iyong mga American-Indian sa sine lang inubos mo eh (You annihilated the American-Indians). What about the rights of those guys who died in the past? Is it because it’s just the past tense we do not answer for the present tense? You must be kidding. Stop joking yourself. Kayong mga sobra kabilib diyan (Those of you who are so impressed) – who is Obama to ask me that? I’ll tell him, "Who are you?" Tell him that. Telegraph mo ngayon (it now). Hindi ako – punta dito, magpaka-ulila diyan sa mga –

    We have long been a Republic. I do not, I said, I do not kneel down before anybody else, except the Filipino in Quiapo walking in misery and in extreme poverty and anger. Hindi kayo maghinto diyan sa droga (I will not just stop at drugs) – the campaign against drugs will continue. Maraming mamatay diyan (Many will die there), plenty will be killed until the last pusher is out of the streets. Until the drug manufacturer is killed, we will continue and I will continue, and I don’t give a shit about anybody observing my behavior. Sige lang mabilib kayo diyan. Iyong mga column nag-bash, susmaryosep! Pagka-lap dog ng mga (Go ahead and be impressed. Those columnists who are bashing [me], Jesus Mary Joseph! they are lapdogs) – pretending to be the conscience of this –

    Sino pa? Hindi ako bilib diyan sa Amerika. Gusto mo sipain ko pa iyan sa harap mo eh. Pumunta kayo doon. (Who else? I'm not impressed by America. If you like, I'll even kick it in front of you. You go there.)

    Q: Sir, good afternoon. Could we just find out more about your declaration of state of lawlessness? And when we can expect parameters or guidelines of the implementation? For example, how long it will take, if there will be any curfews on certain areas. Siguro, more specifics on your declaration or if we can expect the document?

    Duterte: Well, number one is that we should work out a very good example of how it works in other countries and the Philippines. But others, we have to ask for their support and maybe their cooperation of working this out. Iyan ang parame (That's the) – that’s the economic side of it. Let’s say itong migration, kasi bukas na lahat eh, bukas na lahat (everything is open) because there’s free trade, especially if we can perfect the free trade agreement between ASEAN. Removing all barriers, tariff and everything – including the migration of workers.

    Q: Sir, you did not answer my question – state of lawlessness.

    Duterte: Wala mang lawlessness doon eh. Ano man sa – dito (There's no lawlessness there. What – here)?

    Q: Sir, dito po sa Pilipinas (Sir, here in the Philippines).

    Duterte: Dito? Tayo iyan (Here? That's ours). I will not discuss it with them. I will not discuss it with them. I thought I said, I’d have talks on the economic side.

    It’s an internal affair which nobody but nobody should interfere including the so-called [extra]judicial killing of the drug lords and the apparatus/members of the drug syndicates. It will continue. Sabi ko (I said), until such time that I can proclaim to the nation that we are drug free. If that is my only purpose in this presidency, so be it. If you remove me because of the killings, then it shall be so.

    Again, I would like to – there are a lot of you, so much about extrajudicial killing, then connect it with Obama. No, I do not want to pick a quarrel with Obama but certainly, I would not appear to be beholden to anybody. I only am answerable, again, to the Filipino people who elected me as president. Period. Nobody but nobody should interfere. This is an independent country, nobody has the right to lecture on me. God, do not do it.

    Magka – gusto mo (If you like), yeah the right word, magkababuyan tayo doon ‘pag ginawa mo sa akin iyan (we'll just insult each other if you do that to me). I do not accept that proposition that anybody is superior than me. We are supposed to be equal there. My country might be small, hardly keeping up with the economic problems, but I will not allow myself – iinsultuhin mo, iinsultuhin mo iyong Pilipino (you insult me, you insult the Filipino people). But there are others whose mental – who has the mental capacity of dogs who laugh at the ass of the Americans.

    Salamat (Thank you).

  22. Inquirer Manila

    Duterte expresses regret over Obama profane comment

    Philippine Daily Inquirer

    12:42 PM September 6th, 2016

     

    VIENTIANE, Laos — President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday expressed “regrets” for issuing profanity-laced remarks against US President Barack Obama which caused Washington to cancel their bilateral meeting.

    In a statement read by Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar, the President blamed the media for reporting on Obama’s plan to “lecture” him about human rights which prompted him to curse at the American leader.

    “While the immediate cause of my strong comments to certain press questions that elicited concern and distress, we also regret it came across as a personal attack on the US President,” Duterte said.

     

    The President flew here to attend the three-day 28th and 29th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summits, his first foreign travel since he was sworn in as head of state on June 30.

     
     

    The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday said President Rodrigo Duterte looks forward to “ironing out differences” with US President Barack Obama after his strong off-the-cuff comments that caused uproar and deep concerns in the diplomatic community.

    “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. He regrets that his remarks to the press have caused much controversy,” said a DFA statement on Tuesday.

    READ: Duterte expresses regret over Obama profane comment

     

    The department said Duterte was asserting his intent to chart an independent foreign policy and promote closer ties with all nations. “He expressed his deep regard and affinity for President Obama and for the enduring partnership between our nations.”

    Duterte was supposed to hold a bilateral meeting with US President Obama along with eight other world leaders at the sidelines of the 49th Asean Leaders Summit in Vientiane, Laos. But during a press briefing late Monday, an irate Duterte warned that he would curse Obama if the latter would raise the extrajudicial killings of drug suspects in the Philippines during the meeting.

    READ: Duterte to Obama: Don’t lecture me on rights, PH not a US colony

    In turn, the White House cancelled the scheduled meeting of Obama with President Duterte.

    “Both delegations, however, have agreed that in the light of the issues that still need to be worked on, the bilateral meeting between the two nations will be postponed to a later date,” said the DFA statement.

    READ: Obama scraps meeting with Duterte — White House

    The DFA however did not specify the new schedule for the bilateral meeting of two leaders.

    Duterte affirmed that the Philippines continues to value the alliance with the US, citing both countries share common goals in the fight against illegal drugs, terrorism, crime and poverty.

    Duterte also thanked Obama’s firm support to the Philippines’ position to peaceful settlement of disputes in the South China Sea and to stop China’s continuing military incursions in the disputed waters.

    In particular, Duterte lauded Obama’s initiative to raise the issue of the need for China to abide by the rule of law in dealing with sea disputes at the recent G20 Summit held in China.

    “The President looks forward to ironing out differences arising out of national priorities and perceptions, and working in mutually responsible ways for both countries,” said the DFA statement.

    It added that Duterte is mindful of the fact that in securing and preserving the rights and liberties of our people, “it is imperative that the fight against illegal drugs, terrorist, crimes and poverty must be won in order to preserve the principle and values upon which our democratic way of life is anchored.” CDG

     

    Duterte affirms ties with US, ‘deep regard’ for Obama—DFA

    BILATERAL MEETING POSTPONED TO LATER DATE

     

    INQUIRER.net

    02:17 PM September 6th, 2016

     

    The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday said President Rodrigo Duterte continues to value the Philippines’ ties with the United States despite his profanity-laced remarks against US President Barack Obama at the Association of Southeast Asian (Asean) summit.

    In a statement, the DFA said the Philippines and the US “share common goals in their pursuit of the war against drugs, terrorists, crime and poverty.”

    “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. He regrets that his remarks to the press have caused much controversy,” the DFA said.

     

    “While asserting the intent to chart an independent foreign policy and promote closer ties with all nations, he expressed his deep regard and affinity for President Obama and for the enduring partnership between our nations,” it added.

    The statement came after Washington called off a planned meeting between Obama and Duterte, after the latter threatened to throw expletives at the top world leader should Obama “lecture” him on human rights and extrajudicial killings.

    The DFA said Duterte looks forward to “ironing out differences arising out of national priorities and perceptions, and working in mutually responsible ways for both countries.

    READ: DFA: Duterte looks forward to ‘ironing out differences’ with Obama

    “President Duterte stressed that in securing and preserving the rights and liberties of our people, it is imperative that the fight against illegal drugs, terrorist, crimes and poverty must be won in order to preserve the principle and values upon which our democratic way of life is anchored,” it added. JE

     

  23. Philstar Manila

     

    Duterte regrets 'son of a bitch' remark on Obama

    By Vijay Joshi (Associated Press) | Updated September 6, 2016 - 1:10pm
     
    Duterte-ASEAN-Laos.jpg
    President Rodrigo Duterte arrives at Wattay International Airport in Sikhodtabong District, Laos People's Democratic Republic on September 5 to participate in the ASEAN Summit. TOTO LOZANO/PPD
    MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed regret over his "son of a bitch" remark while referring to US President Barack Obama.
     
    In a statement read out Tuesday by his spokesman, Duterte said his "strong comments" to certain questions by a reporter "elicited concern and distress, we also regret it came across as a personal attack on the US president."
     

     

    Duterte made the remarks Monday before flying to Laos, where he will attend a regional summit. He had been scheduled to meet Obama separately. But Obama indicated that he was having second thoughts about that meeting.
     
    Duterte said both sides mutually agreed to postpone the meeting.
     
    Even though Duterte's latest comment does not amount to an apology, the expression of regret is a rare instance when the tough-talking former mayor has expressed contrition for his remarks that often slide into profanity.
     
    "We look forward to ironing out differences arising out of national priorities and perceptions, and working in mutually responsible ways for both countries," the statement said.
     
    The flap over Duterte's remarks started when a reporter asked him how he intends to explain the extrajudicial killings of drug dealers to Obama. More than 2,000 suspected drug pushers and users have been killed since Duterte launched a war on drugs after taking office on June 30.
     
    In his typical foul-mouthed style, Duterte responded: "I am a president of a sovereign state and we have long ceased to be a colony. I do not have any master except the Filipino people, nobody but nobody. You must be respectful. Do not just throw questions. Putang ina I will swear at you in that forum," he said, using the Tagalog phrase for "son of a bitch."
     
    Duterte has earlier cursed the pope and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
     
    "Who is he (Obama) to confront me?" Duterte said, adding the Philippines had not received an apology from the United States for misdeeds committed during its colonization of the Philippines.
     
    He pointed to the killing of Muslim Moros more than a century ago during a US pacification campaign in the southern Philippines, blaming the wounds of the past as "the reason why (the south) continues to boil" with separatist insurgencies.
     
    Last week, Duterte said he was ready to defend his bloody crackdown on illegal drugs, which has sparked concern from the US and other countries.
     
    Duterte said he would demand that Obama allow him to first explain the context of his crackdown before engaging the US president in a discussion of the deaths.  — with reports from AP 
  24. Wall Sreet Journal

    Obama Nixes Meeting After Rodrigo Duterte Lobs an Insult

    Change comes after fiery Philippine head, under criticism for killings in antidrug push, referred to U.S. president with slur

     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    0:00 / 0:00
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Rodrigo Duterte, who became president of the Philippines in June, has already made a number of controversial moves, from waging a violent war on drugs and crime and publicly accusing individuals of aiding druglords to threatening to leave the United Nations. Photo: EPA
    By
    Carol E. Lee
    Updated Sept. 6, 2016 1:12 a.m. ET

    VIENTIANE, Laos—President Barack Obama canceled a planned meeting with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, in a rare diplomatic rupture that follows an outbreak of tensions between two close allies over the Philippines’ new drug war.

    The White House said last week that Mr. Obama was planning to meet with Mr. Duterte during his trip to Laos for a summit of Asian leaders beginning Tuesday. The meeting would have been the first between the world leaders since Mr. Duterte took office in June.

    But in a notable expression of U.S. concern, Mr. Obama on Monday cast doubt on those plans, suggesting he may pull out of the meeting over bombastic comments from the Philippine leader demanding their discussion not touch on his approach to human rights and referring to the U.S. leader in Tagalog with an expression widely translated to mean “son of a bitch.”

    After Mr. Obama arrived in Laos, the White House early Tuesday said the meeting with Mr. Duterte wouldn’t occur and that Mr. Obama would instead meet with South Korea’s president, Park Geun-hye.

    “President Obama will not be holding a bilateral meeting with President Duterte of the Philippines,” National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said.

     
     
     
     
     
    0:00 / 0:00
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    President Barack Obama canceled a planned meeting with Rodrigo Duterte at a summit of Asian leaders in Laos after the Philippine president's outburst. Photo: Getty Images and Reuters

    It is rare for Mr. Obama to cancel a meeting with a world leader in an intentional snub. In 2013, he backed out of a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin after Moscow granted asylum to Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who leaked classified information over White House objections.

    Mr. Obama said Monday that he expects the U.S. and the Philippines to maintain close relations. The countries are longstanding treaty allies, and Manila relies on American support in its territorial disputes with China in the South China Sea. Washington is also due to deploy troops to the Philippines as part of the Obama administration’s strategy of rebalancing to the Asia-Pacific region under terms of a 2014 defense pact.

    Speaking at a news conference in China before flying to Vientiane, Mr. Obama said he had directed his aides to talk with their Philippine counterparts to make sure “the timing is right” for a meeting after learning that Mr. Duterte said forcefully on Monday that the U.S. president has no standing to confront him about human rights and that “plenty will be killed” in the Philippines’ antidrug campaign.

    Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte arrives in Vientiane, Laos, ahead of a meeting of leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. ENLARGE
    Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte arrives in Vientiane, Laos, ahead of a meeting of leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Photo: Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

    Responding to questions from local reporters Monday about how he would react if Mr. Obama raised the human-rights issue, Mr. Duterte appeared angry and blamed the U.S.—which ran the Philippines as a colony until 1946—for causing the country’s problems.

    “The Philippines is not a vassal state—we have long since ceased to be a colony of the United States,” said Mr. Duterte, rejecting criticism of his efforts to curb crime. He then spoke in Tagalog, referring to Mr. Obama with the slur.

    Since Mr. Duterte became president, police and vigilantes have killed more than 2,000 people in the Philippines. The killings have led to allegations of human-rights abuses and criticism from the United Nations and human-rights groups. They have also drawn statements of concern from the U.S. State Department.

    “Clearly he’s a colorful guy,” Mr. Obama said during a news conference at the end of a summit of the Group of 20 major economies in China. “What I’ve instructed my team to do is to talk to their Philippine counterparts to find out: Is this in fact a time where we can have constructive, productive conversations?”

    Administration officials didn’t elaborate on the administration’s calculation in canceling the meeting, or whether the talks ordered by Mr. Obama ended without a resolution, but made clear it came in response to Mr. Duterte’s comments Monday. There was no immediate reaction from Manila.

    Mr. Obama said the U.S. recognizes the significant challenges posed by drug trafficking, but that it needs to be combated in a way that is consistent with international norms.

    “Undoubtedly, if and when we have a meeting, this is something that’s going to be brought up,” Mr. Obama said.

    The American and Philippine leaders are in Laos for a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

    Mr. Obama is the first sitting U.S. president to travel to Laos, a visit aimed at moving relations past wartime wounds. He said he plans to announce “some really concrete assistance” to Laos to help the small Southeast Asian country clean up unexploded bombs the U.S. dropped during the Vietnam War.

    “Their capacity alone to clean that up is hampered by a lack of resources,” Mr. Obama said during a news conference in China before flying to Vientiane. “We should help.”

    The president said the U.S. hopes to develop economic ties with Laos, adding, “As we’re trying to build trust, a lot of work can be done around the war legacy issues.”

    Mr. Obama also will use his two days in Laos to reassure leaders that he can deliver on a new trade deal. The Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, has stalled in Congress amid opposition from lawmakers in both parties.

    Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he won’t bring it up for a vote this year, even after the November election, when the White House had hoped it would pass. Both Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton oppose the pact.

    “The United States has never had a smooth, uncontroversial path to ratifying trade deals, but they eventually get them done,” Mr. Obama said, adding he would explain that U.S. dynamic to counterparts in Vientiane. “Back home, we’ll have to cut through the noise once election season’s over.”

    Mr. Obama compared the Laos visit to his trip to Japan in May, when he became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima. “Symbolically this is important,” he said.

    The U.S. dropped over two million tons of bombs on Laos during its attempt to knock out the North Vietnamese Army’s cross-border supply chain during the Vietnam War. Those unexploded bombs remain a significant threat in many of the country’s rural communities. Mr. Obama said he would also seek to account for U.S. troops who were lost in the region’s wars.

    Mr. Obama will meet Tuesday with Laotian President Bounnhang Vorachith. While in Laos, he will deliver a speech on his so-called rebalance in Asia, a policy centered on the U.S. countering China’s influence by engaging other countries in the region.

    On Wednesday the president flies to Luang Prabang, where he will hold a town-hall question-and-answer session with young Southeast Asian entrepreneurs and activists and tour Wat Xieng Thong Buddhist Temple.

  25. LA Times

     

    Duterte expresses regret for his Obama insult. But he's always had a way with words

    Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, center, arrives at the venue of the Assn. of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Vientiane, Laos. (Nyein Chan Naing / European Pressphoto Agency)
    Jonathan Kaiman
     

    Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte made headlines this week after he called President Obama a “son of a bitch.” But given Duterte’s record of crude remarks, the insult could be considered typical, maybe even tame. 

    During Duterte’s presidential campaign — he was inaugurated on June 30 — he remarked on the size of his penis, called Pope Francis the "son of a whore” and joked about an Australian missionary who was raped and killed during a prison break in 1989.

    "I was angry because she was raped, that's one thing," he said, "But she was so beautiful, the mayor should have been first. What a waste.”

    Duterte later expressed regret over his remark about Obama. In a statement read by his spokesman, he said his “strong comments” that were made in response to a reporter’s question “elicited concern and distress.”

    "He expresses deep regret, regards and affinity for Obama and the U.S.’ diplomatic partnership with our nation,” the spokesman said, according to the Singaporean broadcaster Channel NewsAsia.

    The apology was rare. While campaigning, Duterte refused to apologize for the rape joke, despite a wave of outrage. In mid-August, Duterte called the U.S. ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg a “gay son of a whore.” He has not apologized for that insult.

    Duterte, 71, gained a reputation as a tough-talking, no-nonsense leader over his 22 years as mayor of the southern city of Davao. He campaigned for president on the promise of eradicating the country of illegal drugs within six months, without regard for human rights or due process — in the spring, he threatened to dump drug dealers’ bodies into Manila Bay “and fatten all the fish there.” 

    Since his inauguration, more than 2,000 suspected drug dealers have lost their lives. Many were killed by police; others by shadowy vigilantes. (Obama had planned to raise the issue with Duterte at their planned meeting in Laos — since postponed — raising the Philippine president’s ire). 

    Duterte’s statement of regret was delivered on the sidelines of the Assn. of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Laos.

    Richard Javad Heydarian, an assistant professor of political science at De La Salle University in Manila, said that Duterte’s comments tend to play well at home, where his spontaneity and audacity complement his image as a man of the people.

    “His style has given him a 100% success rate with elections” in the Philippines, he said. “So he’s probably thinking, ‘I’ve had such a high success rate, why would I change tacks?’”

    Duterte, in his remarks Monday, also blamed the U.S. for causing many of the country’s problems, including instability on the southern island of Mindanao. (The Philippines was a U.S. colony until 1946.) “We have long since ceased to be a colony of the United States,” Duterte said. 

    “Duterte is a very sensible person,” Heydarian said. “He may seem like a crude, third-world strongman. But he reads about the early 19th century, and the 20th century, and he knows about U.S. injustices — not only against its own Native American and African American population, but also towards the Philippines, when the Philippines was a U.S. colony. 

    “I think that’s the problem here — that Duterte makes a lot of sensible points, especially if you’re a progressive liberal,” Heydarian added. “The issue is that he has some problems with impulse control and preventing himself from making these statements. He’s also confident that he has domestic support — and that we’re reaching a post-American age, where the U.S. doesn’t have the power it did before.”

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