Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte changes his tune on US, paying tribute to ‘allies’ who aided fight against insurgents in Marawi
Some commentators have attributed his softer tone to the Trump administration refraining from criticism of Duterte’s signature war on drugs
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte voiced rare praise for the United States on Thursday, calling it an important security ally, and dismissing historic grievances and his slew of past tirades against Washington as “water under the bridge”.
Duterte’s anti-American outbursts have become notorious and baffling for one of Washington’s closest Asian allies since the nation gained independence from the US in 1946.
He was speaking on the 116th anniversary of one of the bloodiest battles in the American-Philippines war on the central island of Samar, where 39 Filipino civilians were killed in retaliation for the deaths of 48 soldiers killed by rebels.
Last year, at his first international summit in Laos, the maverick leader stunned regional leaders when he showed them pictures of that massacre.
Barack Obama cancelled a bilateral meeting there with Duterte, who had called Obama a “son of a bitch” days earlier for expressing concern about his bloody war on drugs.
I would not say they were our saviours, but they are our allies and they helped us
On Thursday, Duterte said he had been advised to tone down his anti-American rhetoric and had positive words for the US military, with which he has repeatedly threatened to sever ties, besides accusing it of supplying ineffective combat hardware and of making the Philippines a potential target for war.