‘HOW STUPID CAN CANADA GET?’

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday night called Canada “very stupid” in connection with a canceled $233-million helicopter deal.

“You saw the order of the military, Air Force, of attack helicopters. Look at how stupid the Canadians are, very stupid. They already approved the deal. When they delivered it, they said, ‘But you cannot use these for military or punitive actions by the police. This is only good for evacuation and [things] humanitarian,’” Duterte said in a speech during a general assembly of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines in Manila.

“Oh, how foolish. ‘ You cannot use these against your own citizens.’ My God, you Canadians how stupid can you get? Our citizens are joining the ISIS so we have every right to kill our citizens because we do not want to destroy the community with apathy,” Duterte said.

ISIS, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, is also referred to as Islamic State or IS.

Duterte said Canada has also treated the Philippines “like garbage.”

“The entire community of the world should know that there is a Republic of the Philippines which you [Canada] cannot just f***** s***. Do not do it to us because I will insult you. Anyway, who are you? You are already toppling,” he added.

Duterte said the Marawi conflict should have justified the purchase of the helicopters since there were deaths on the government side.

That conflict erupted in Marawi City, capital of Lanao del Sur province in southern Philippines, in May 2017 and put down by the government in October of the same year.

“And these idiots there said, ‘You cannot use it against your citizens.’ [ You can say this] because you are not encountering the same problem there,” Duterte said.

The Philippine government canceled the deal after the Canadian government ordered a review of the helicopter deal amid human rights concerns.

“[Canada] said they will sell [the helicopters] but only for evacuation and emergency. We cannot use [them] for anti-insurgency because if [they are] used against Filipino rebels, they will not sell [them],” the President said during a news conference on February 9.

Duterte earlier said he “respected” Canada’s position and that the Philippines will just move on and would look for other deals.

“We respect the stand of Canada. I want to tell the Armed Forces to cut the deal. Do not push it… and somehow, we will look for another supplier,” he added in the same news conference.

On February 13, Malacañang spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said the Philippines is looking at China, South Korea and Russia as potential suppliers of new helicopters.