Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday apologized to former US President Barack Obama for insulting him after the United States expressed concern over the Philippines' war on drugs.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd September, 2018) Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday apologized to former US President Barack Obama for insulting him after the United States expressed concern over the Philippines' war on drugs.
In 2016, Duterte called Obama, who was in office at the time, "son of a bitch" after reports emerged that the US leader was planning to mention the deadly war on drugs during their upcoming meeting. The summit between Obama and Duterte had to be canceled because of the tensions in bilateral relations.
"Mr. Obama, I said, you are now a civilian, I am sorry for uttering those words [in 2016]. Know it was just a plain 'talkatese'... We have learned our lessons very well," Duterte said, as quoted by the Philippine Star newspaper.
Duterte added that he had forgiven Obama for criticizing his war on drugs.
"I am forgiving you, just like my girlfriends when I was still a bachelor. I am forgiving you. I have forgiven all of them," Duterte said, according to the newspaper.
The Philippines' harsh anti-drug policy, promoted by Duterte, has been criticized by human rights organization over extrajudicial killings. In February, the International Criminal Court launched a preliminary investigation into the war on drugs.
