Mayor Rody, DU30, & Digong

PRESIDENT Duterte has come to be known for his remarks on many issues and against many personalities. He threatened to declare martial law if Sereno continues to block his efforts to address the country’s problem on illegal drugs.

The President did not forget an “old grudge” against Sen. Leila M. de Lima, accusing her of having links in the alleged New Bilibid Prison drug operations and even an illicit affair.

Communications Secretary Martin M. Andanar said the recent broadsides against De Lima originated years back when the senator tried to link President Duterte to the Davao Death Squad.

Duterte also got the goat of Australian citizens when he remarked that an Australian rape victim, was so beautiful “the mayor should have been the first.”

Robin Haines Merill, the sister of the Australian rape victim, denounced the then candidacy of President Duterte, as did Australian TV presenter Paul Murray of Foxtel Network, who called Mr. Duterte “an evil b _ _ _ h,” while Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Amanda Gorely said in a tweet, “jokes must not be made about victims of rape and murder.”

President Duterte’s remarks have made headlines in international news organizations, such as BBC, CNN, and the Washington Post.

One diplomatic faux pax Mr. Duterte recently committed was when he showed his anger against US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg, calling him bakla (gay), for commenting negatively against him on the Australian rape case. As a result, the US summoned Patrick Chuasoto, the diplomat in charge of the Philippine Embassy in Washington, DC, to clarify the President’s remark.

US State Department Press Office Director Elizabeth Trudeau said: “We’ve seen those inappropriate comments made about Ambassador Goldberg. He’s a multi-time ambassador, one of our most senior US diplomats.”

Shortly after assuming the presidency, President Duterte said he got mad at an unnamed ambassador who called on him in Davao to discuss the Philippine plan to cut the country’s greenhouse-gas emissions.

“I’m mad at this ambassador. I want to kick him,” adding that limits on carbon emissions for the Philippines were “nonsense.”

“You who have reached your peak and along with it spewed a lot of contaminants, emissions... Good for you.”