Obama meets Duterte after ‘whore’ slur: Philippines

President Obama met briefly with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte today, exchanging pleasantries ahead of a gala dinner at a regional summit in Laos, according to White House officials. That caused Obama to cancel a formal meeting scheduled for Tuesday.

“I can’t say how long they met”, Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay, travelling with Duterte, told reporters shortly afterwards.

In a sign that relations between Manila and Washington have not been affected by Duterte’s outburst, the United States is giving the Philippines two used military aircraft.

His outburst was prompted by U.S. assertions that Obama planned to raise the issue of Duterte’s war on crime that has claimed 3,000 lives in just over two months. “Just give me vinegar and salt, and I will eat you”, said Duterte, after reiterating his stance that criminal elements like terrorists were already “beyond redemption”.

Prime Minister Modi exchanged views with Obama on the sidelines of the G20 summit+ in China’s Hangzhou on Sunday, with the USA president praising the “bold policy” move on GST reform in a “difficult” global economic scenario.

In addition to the wave of violence, the nation has few drug rehabilitation centers capable of dealing with an influx of drug users hoping to get treatment since Duterte took office. “Do not just throw questions”, he said, finishing by declaring, “Putang ina, I will swear at you in that forum” – a Tagalog phrase for “son of a b–h”.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks during a news conference in Davao city, southern Philippines.

“I don’t know the details but that was what was discussed”, Jose said.

President Barack Obama is blaming the failure to win passage of a multinational trade agreement on the fact that it’s political season in the U.S.

“We’ve elevated our ties with India across the board, and we welcome India’s growing role in the Asia-Pacific, ‘ Obama said in a major policy speech on Asia-Pacific region in Laos yesterday”.

The president says the US has a profound moral obligation to help clean up the unexploded bombs.

The Philippine Coast Guard said Wednesday the vessels would help it expand sea patrols in the face of territorial disputes with China.

Obama said the USA has worked to build a constructive relationship with China.

“Before the President’s announcement I feared that the UXO operation in Laos would take hundreds of years”, Mines Advisory Group country director Simon Rea told the BBC here.