Duterte unveils Trump impersonation after call

MANILA: Philippine leader Rodrigo Duterte is working on his own impression of US President-elect Donald Trump.

In a speech in Manila on Wednesday night, Mr Duterte imitated Mr Trump’s voice and accent while recalling their telephone conversation on Dec 2. He said Mr Trump wanted to fix “bad relations” with the Philippines stemming from President Barack Obama’s criticism of his deadly war on drugs.

“If you listen to how Trump talks to me now, I have already turned into a saint,” Mr Duterte said in a speech at the presidential palace. By contrast, he said, Mr Obama pictured “the Philippines — well, of course, including me — to be murderers and everything”.

Mr Duterte’s latest comments indicate that ties between the security allies may improve under Mr Trump. The Philippine leader in October announced a shift in foreign policy toward China while telling Mr Obama to “go to hell” for opposing his drugs war, which has killed thousands of alleged dealers and users.

Impersonating the real-estate mogul, Mr Duterte said Mr Trump told him: “You’re doing great. I know what’s your worry about these Americans criticising you. You are doing good, go ahead.”

Mr Duterte said that Mr Trump used curse words in describing a “problem in the border of Mexico and America”.

“When you come to Washington DC or New York City, look me up and we’ll have coffee,” Mr Duterte said, impersonating Mr Trump. “And maybe you can give me a suggestion, one or two, how to solve this goddamn son of a bitch.”

Mr Trump, who went on Twitter to publicise his phone call with Taiwan’s leader last week, has yet to comment on his conversation with Mr Duterte. In an interview with Time magazine, which named him Person of the Year, Mr Trump didn’t object to a reporter who mentioned that he echoed Mr Duterte’s rhetoric in denouncing crime by foreign-born assailants.

“Well, hey, look, this is bad stuff,” Time quoted Mr Trump as saying. “They slice them up, they carve their initials in the girl’s forehead, OK. What are we supposed to do? Be nice about it?” Mr Trump has criticised Alec Baldwin’s impression of him on Saturday Night Live, saying on Twitter that it “just can’t get any worse. Sad”.

Meanwhile, Philippines Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana says it is highly unlikely the Philippines will allow the US military to use the country as a springboard for its freedom of navigation patrols in the disputed South China Sea to avoid antagonising China.

Mr Lorenzana said yesterday that US ships and aircraft could use bases in Guam, Okinawa, or fly from aircraft carriers to patrol the disputed waters.