Philippines Government Tries to Ease Tension with US Following President’s Outburst

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has voiced regret over his outbursts aimed at United States President Barack Obama on Monday. Duterte was scheduled to meet with Obama in a bilateral meeting, but the meeting was canceled as Duterte called Obama a “son of a b****.”

The outburst was a result of Duterte’s war on drugs, which has resulted in 2,400 deaths in just over two months. The president was asked about human rights concerns that Obama may raise as a result of the massive deaths in the country, which Duterte said would be “rude” of Obama.

Duterte has a history of outbursts, with a previous outburst directed at Pope Francis.

Washington immediately called off the meeting scheduled on Tuesday with Duterte following the outbursts. The Philippines government released two statements on the matter expressing regret. Duterte also apologized to the pope following his rant.

The statement from the Philippines government states: “he regrets that his remarks to the press have caused much controversy.”

Both countries discussed the matter and possible conversations between the two presidents in the future. The two will not reschedule their meeting on Tuesday, which was set to take place in Laos.

Obama will meet with the president of South Korea on Tuesday instead.