A DAY after he claimed God admonished him for cursing, President Rodrigo Duterte almost slipped as he criticized the United States on Saturday but caught himself on time from blurting another expletive for which he has become world famous.
“You already know that a mayor has already been killed. We should really avoid drugs because it will really destroy our country,” Duterte said during the launching of P59 billion worth of anti-poverty projects at the Shariff Kabunsuan Cultural Center in Cotabato City.
“Believe me. You will see in my hometown that the teeth of elderly people are worn out, just like drug addicts. Whenever they have money, they spend it on shabu. I said, you sons…,” Duterte said stopping himself, then quickly told his audience. “You watch over me.”
But aside from that instance, Duterte kept his word that he will no longer utter an expletive during his 30-minute speech.
On Friday, Duterte said he was on his return flight from a three-day official visit to Japan when he heard a small voice while everyone was asleep saying he would cause the plane to crash if he did not stop swearing.
But if he was able to keep himself from cursing, Duterte resumed his tirade against offenses he attributed to the United States.
“You talk to us as if we are still your colony, that we’re your servants,” Duterte said, referring to American officials. “When you give aide, there are many conditions.”
“You have always been like that, your regard for us is too low. You think we are still your puppets,” he added.
Duterte reiterated that instead of sending him to prison or treating him like a dog on a leash who won’t be fed if he didn’t behave, the Americans should help in solving the problem.
During his state visit to China two weeks ago, Duterte pushed his foreign policy pivot from the US and declared he will no longer go to the US and will be realigning himself with China and Russia.
“I will not go to America anymore” for assistance because “we will just be insulted there,” Duterte said of the Philippines’ closest ally since independence in 1946.
“I realign myself in your ideological flow and maybe I will also go to Russia to talk to Putin. There are three of us against the world. China, Philippines, Russia,” Duterte told Chinese government officials and business leaders who attended the Philippines-China Trade and Investment Forum.
With the “separation” from the US, Duterte said he would now be relying on the Chinese officials and businessmen.
“I announce my separation from the United States both in the military but economics also,” Duterte said. “I have separated from them so I will be dependent on you for a long time but don’t worry we will also help.”