Duterte hits US, rants on drugs, rights at Putin-hosted forum
SOCHI, Russia—president Duterte bashed the US government but skipped any mention of China in a foreign policy speech before four other heads of state, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, and an international gathering of policymakers and intellectuals.
In a speech at the Valdai Discussion Club, a prestigious think-tank forum held annually in Russia since 2004, Mr. Duterte accused Washington of having “double standards,” saying it imposes on developing countries rules that it doesn’t observe.
Showing no signs of fatigue from back-to-back air travels and the long drive to the mountaintop ski resort for his bilateral meeting with Putin and the Valdai Discussion Club forum, Mr. Duterte launched a litany of complaints against “some so-called friends,” alluding to America.
‘Misguided crusades’ “They weaponize human rights, oblivious to its damaging consequences to the very people they seek to protect. Just look at the chaos and instability that ensued in Libya and Iraq following military interventions,” Mr Duterte said.
“Yet, you see the same countries supplying high-end weaponry to parties whose actual human rights record leaves so much to be desired,” he added. “We are tired of the misguided and self-serving crusades of the few. It is time that they are challenged.”
“[But] let me be very clear—i am not against the United States and/or the West. The US is a close friend of the Philippines—in fact, our only treaty ally. We have deep ties with the American people, forged by shared history and nourished by common values. America certainly can offer so much more [to] the world.”
Oversight
The President said he had corrected the oversight of having kept Russia in the margins of Philippine international relations despite the end of the Cold War.
In his remaining three years in office, he said, the Philippines will deepen its engagement also with Latin America, Africa and Central Asia.
“It is also high time that the Philippines looked at the Middle East with fresh eyes going beyond oil and overseas Filipino workers,” he said.
Of the heads of state on stage, Mr. Duterte was the last to take the podium, after Putin, King Abdullah II of Jordan, President Kassym-jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan.
Thursday’s open forum with the five heads of state capped the four-day conference. Mr. Duterte’s 16-minute speech was 10 minutes shorter than that of the host, Putin, but the Philippine leader spent a longer time answering the question posed to him, thrown by the moderator to each of the leaders.
Asked about his foreign policy redirection especially toward China, Mr. Duterte hardly touched on that topic and instead spoke of his 2016 election victory, before talking lengthily about his antidrug campaign for about 20 minutes.
Two generals
It was at this point when he spoke of “two generals” involved in illegal drugs, but whom he did not name.
“And now people say that my pronouncements actually encourage everybody to kill the drug lords and drug addicts. You know, frankly, I would be happy to—if [these] things happened,” Mr. Duterte said.
“This is [what] I would pose to the entire community of the world. Is it wrong for a President to say that: ‘Do not destroy my country especially the children because I will kill you?’ And that was my order to the Armed Forces and to the police.”
“And right now, even as I fly here and go back, there are about again two generals who are still playing with drugs. And I said, ‘Well, I told you, do not destroy my country because it is being flooded with drugs.”
Rounds of laughter
Mr. Duterte appeared reluctant to yield the floor even as the moderators tried to take questions from other forum participants. Some members of the audience broke into laughter when he asked for “one minute” more.
He did get his additional minute—but went overtime. This prompted one of the moderators to cut in and say: “Please excuse me, Mr. President. That’s one minute that’s still there.” Another round of laughter followed.
Own religion
“Yes. I’m now invoking freedom of religion,” said Mr. Duterte, who had also talked about having his own religion so he would not be called a “murderer.”
“Well, I must end by just disabusing the minds of people that I’m not a killer. Some say a killer of what? Maybe you know what it is. You are all practicing killing ... girls maybe? Woman? We are good at that.”
Mr. Duterte and his entourage left Sochi on Friday night (Manila time) for the twohour flight back to Moscow, where he will stay for the rest of his official visit before flying home to Davao City on Saturday.
Well, I must end by just disabusing the minds of people that I’m not a killer. Some say a killer of what? Maybe you know what it is. You are all practicing killing . . . girls maybe? Woman? We are good at that
President Duterte