Duterte on Trump: ‘ Gago din’

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte in his freewheeling remarks as he took part in his police chief’s birthday celebration last Saturday recalled anew his Dec. 2 , 2016 phone call with US President Donald J. Trump, describing the American president as “gago din (a fool as well)” but “hindi bugoy” (not mischievous).

Mr. Duterte, who had recently shifted from his anti-American stance upon the victory of the also tough-talking Republican leader, said that like him, Mr. Trump is concerned about his country’s drug problem and will also kill narco-traffickers.

“O tingnan mo sa inaugural speech niya, he will stop drugs, gago din. Papatayin ka talaga niyan. You know, si Trump, huwag kang magpa-kumpiyansa, parang bugoy . Pero hindi iyan maging billionaire kung talagang bugoy ang utak niyan (Oh, listen to his inaugural speech — he will stop drugs — a fool like me. Trump could really kill you. You know, with Trump, you can’t be too confident, he’s mischievous. But he would not become a billionaire if he does have the brain of a mischievous person),” Mr. Duterte said.

‘THEY’RE FLOODING MY COUNTRY’

In the same impromptu speech, Mr. Duterte, still recollecting his brief chat with Mr. Trump, also said that the newly inaugurated American president complained to him about illegal drugs “flooding” the US and the “bad fix” between the Philippines and the US State Department.

“Tapos pagdating si Trump, tinawagan ko. ‘ Mr. President, this is President Duterte. I am privileged to congratulate you.’ ‘Oh, yes. I heard that we have a bad fix with the United States Department.’ ‘ Yes, Mr. President. I’m sorry but it’s just a matter of principle, nothing more.’ ‘ Yeah, this guy, you know, the boundary of, [censored], you know, they are flooding my country,’” Mr. Duterte said as he feigned the US leader’s accent.

Mr. Duterte had been critical of the US and its then outgoing president, Barack Obama, who had expressed human rights concerns over the Philippine government’s war on illegal drugs.

But since the Republican leader’s victory in the US presidential election, Mr. Duterte has changed his stance with remarks aimed at reaching out to Mr. Trump.

In October, he appointed Jose E.B. Antonio, the chief executive and controlling shareholder of Philippine-listed Century Properties Group, Inc., as a special government envoy to the US.

Century Properties, the company behind the $150-million tower that’s set to open next year, paid as much as $5 million to use the Trump name, in a licensing agreement that’s common for the American property mogul before he won the race for the White House.

In a divisive election campaign, the American tycoon turned- politician drew sharp criticism for his protectionist as well as racist and sexist remarks, seen to be in response to the rising multiculturalism in the US.

Meanwhile, more than 5,000 have been killed in Mr. Duterte’s bloody war on drugs.