General Admission
When Duterte meets Obama
By Al S. Mendoza
IF plans do not miscarry, President Duterte and President Obama will meet on Tuesday (Sept. 6).
It will be on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit of the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) meeting in Vientiane, Laos.
But Mr. Duterte has one condition for it to happen: He should be allowed first to explain the context of his anti-drug advocacy before discussing human rights violations with Obama.
Earlier, Obama had aired concerns over extrajudicial killings in Mr. Duterte’s war against illegal drugs.
The United Nations had also earlier expressed similar fears.
Killed already nationwide are more than 2,000 drug suspects amid Mr. Duterte’s brutal campaign versus the drug menace.
Nearly half of that had died in police operations since Mr. Duterte took over as President on June 30.
But will he really discuss the drug war with Obama in Laos?
“It depends at what degree,” Mr. Duterte had said.
He also said: “They must understand the problem first before we talk about human rights. I would insist that they listen first before we could talk.”
Digong has repeatedly said there are at least 3 million Filipino drug addicts.
A lot of times, too, did he hit back at the UN, accusing the body of failing to prevent genocidal killings in Africa and the Middle East “and they say we are into extrajudicial killings without presenting any evidence to prove it?”
He also lambasted the US for “failing to stop the killings of African-Americans by white police.”
It was also reported that in their planned meeting, he would raise concerns about Mr. Duterte’s “recent statements” against the US embassy in Manila.
Being referred to, of course, was Duterte’s calling US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg as a “gay son of a bitch.”
Digong had already said he would “never apologize” to Goldberg “because he also has not apologized to me for uncalled for remarks he made against me” at the height of the rape-joke issue on an Australian female missionary.
Anyway, when Mr. Duterte and Obama finally meet, here’s a possible scenario during their chat.
Obama: “President Duterte, is it true you kill a person that you are merely trying to arrest?”
Duterte: “Of course. But only when he tries to kill you. What are you a jerk, allowing yourself to be killed when you have the power to kill your would-be killer first? Turkey!”
Obama: “President Duterte, will you apologize to Ambassador Goldberg for having called him a ‘gay son of a bitch?’”
Duterte: “Of course. But only if he’d say he is not gay. Because if he did, I’d even shout to the world that I am a fuckin’, sonafabitch liar.”
End of conversation.
(For your comments and reactions, please email to: punch.sunday@gmail.com)
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
