‘It’s an ordinary expression’: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte explains ‘putangina’ comment that created diplomatic stir
Duterte also said he would try to boost security for ships using the waters between Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte insisted on Friday he had not intended to insult US leader Barack Obama, but immediately took aim at another global figure by labelling UN chief Ban Ki-moon a “fool”.
Duterte sparked a storm on the eve of an Asian summit this week when he appeared to label Obama a “son of a whore”, prompting the US president to cancel a planned meeting. The pair met briefly later at the gathering in Laos after Duterte expressed regret.
But acid-tongued Duterte on Friday said the Philippine expression “putangina” should not be taken at face value, and it was “an ordinary expression [used] by everyone”.
“It’s son of a bitch or son of a gun. It’s not son of a whore,” he told an audience of Filipinos during a visit to the Indonesian capital Jakarta.
It’s son of a bitch or son of a gun. It’s not son of a whore
He insisted his remarks were not directed at Obama but at the US State Department, which has raised concerns over potential human rights violations in Duterte’s anti-crime campaign which has left almost 3,000 dead in just over two months.
“I got really angry about these threats over this human rights issue. This is the fault of the crazy people in the State Department,” he said.