President Duerte is prepared to give a “lecture” on the “finer points of civilization” to any world leader who may question his campaign against illegal drugs during a regional summit in Peru.
Aware that he is “not popular” among some leaders, the President has warned that he would not allow anyone to walk all over him at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit this weekend.
“I don’t know kung anong pag-uusapan namin dito pero ‘pag nagkamali na naman sila, gusto nila maka-isa, nagpraktis na ako kagabi. Makatikim talaga sila sa akin. And I will lecture on them on the finer points of civilization [I don’t know what we will discuss there but if they commit another mistake, try to score against us, I already practiced last night. They will really get it from me. And I will lecture them on the finer points of civilization],” the President said before traveling to Peru for the regional talks.
“Huwag niyong solohin ‘yung ano. Kayo lang parating tigas, eh, kaya lang, you threaten us as if we are your laborers. Sabay ipakulong ako. Ano, pakulong? Isama ko kayong lahat [You don’t have the monopoly, you think you’re the only tough ones. You threaten us as if we are your laborers. Imprison me? What? I’ll bring all of you with me],” a confident Duterte said.
Duterte, the former Davao City mayor prone to profanity in public speeches, assured that he would be “guided only by the best interest of the people.”
In recent weeks, the President has bristled at criticisms from western nations like the United States and the European Union over his war on drugs, saying they have been disrespectful in reprimanding a sovereign leader in public. He has also accused them of hypocrisy for their human rights concerns in the Philippines even though their nations have also been implicated in domestic abuses.
The President’s sentiment against his foreign critics, however, was apparently not shared by his Cabinet.
“Lahat sa Cabinet they were sullen, ganun sila lahat,” Duterte said.
He said Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez even told him that he was the “most unpopular leader in Europe.” “Sabi ko, never mind, son. I’m the President of the Philippines. I’m not their President. I don’t care. I don’t give a s**t. Basta ako dito,” he added.
In Peru, the President is expected to join 20 other Pacific Rim leaders in Lima for talks on the challenges to free trade and investments, food security, environmental concerns, among others. US President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping are among the leaders attending the APEC assembly.
The APEC summit serves an opportunity for Duterte to meet Obama after diplomatic tiff in the last summit in Laos over his war on drugs.
Duterte had earlier unleashed a profanity-laced attack on Obama amid the latter’s plan to question him over his war on drugs. Reacting to Duterte’s tirade, Obama opted to call off the bilateral meeting with the Philippine leader and reminded him to conduct his anti-crime campaign “the right way.”
Duterte later ditched a prepared speech at the Vientiane summit, unleashed a tirade on the US, and showed photos of their war-time killings in Mindanao.
Meantime, the President said he plans to highlight his government’s peace and order policies while seeking closer economic and trade cooperation with the country’s partners in the Asia Pacific region.
“I will highlight government policy support as well as efforts to address corruption and criminality as building blocks of a strong and resilient economy aimed at inclusive and continued growth,” he said in his departure speech.
He said this year’s APEC summit would be an important opportunity for the Philippines to work closely with economic partners in the region.
It also serves as a chance “to take stock of the efforts to facilitate economic growth and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific, and to determine ways of moving forward to achieve our shared goals,” he added.
“My message to APEC will be clear: The Philippines is open for business. We will do everything to make sure that business, particularly our MSMEs, will thrive and flourish – small and medium,” he said.
The post Undermine President Duterte or Endure his Wrath appeared first on Manila Bulletin.
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