President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday (May 19) said the United States would collapse one day because of conflicting values and agenda resulting from its “multi-racial” character.
In a speech in Davao City, Duterte again lambasted the US State Department for criticizing him and his controversial war on drugs.
“Ang problema sa Amerika minsan hindi ang President, it’s the State Department, which is really multi-colored. Saksakan sila d’yan. That’s why America will really collapse one of these days, maybe in 50 to 100 years, because of its multi-racial thing. Kanya-kanyang insert ng values eh,” Duterte said.
(The problem with America is sometimes it’s not the president, it’s the State Department, which is really multi-colored. They’re all crammed in there. That’s why America will really collapse one of these days, maybe in 50 to 100 years, because of its multi-racial thing. Each of them tries to insert their own values.)
Under former US President Barack Obama, the US State Department, then headed by John Kerry, had expressed concern over the killings in Duterte’s war on drugs.
Obama got a mouthful from Duterte, who told the US leader to go to hell as he was irked by the admonition from Washington.
Ties between Manila and Washington improved when Donald Trump came to power. Unlike Obama, Duterte said the new US leader supported his war on drugs.
Still, this did not stop the US State Department under Trump from raising concerns over extra-judicial killings linked to the war on drugs.
Nearly 3,000 drug suspects have died in presumed legitimate police operations in Duterte’s campaign against illegal drugs. Out of 9,432 homicide cases from July 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017 or the first 9 months of the Duterte administration, 1,847 have been found to be drug-related, with 5,691 cases under investigation.
Duterte said the sudden shift in tone of the US under the two administrations was an example of “double talk.”
“P****g i***g America na ‘to, one time insultuhin ka, another time (it’s different). Bakit ganoon na lang ang dadaaan mo? It’s double talk — different motives, different entities. But it’s double talk,” he said.
(This son of a whore America, one time they’ll insult you, another time… Why do you have to go through that?)
“That’s why I said, when I was interviewed last night over Russian television, that’s what I don’t like about America.”
As he keeps a more critical view toward the US, the Philippines’ defense treaty ally, Duterte has sought warm relations with China and Russia, including seeking help in procuring arms and securing economic and trade deals.
His government says the decision to seek warmer ties with non-traditional allies is in line with Duterte’s pursuit of an independent foreign policy.
Story: ABS-CBN News
