Just a month ago, the President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, caused an international uproar when he “Called Obama son of a wh*re.” It also resulted in U.S. President Obama cancelling their meeting, which was rescheduled for another date.
Instead of letting the media rule our minds, we, at Liberal America got hold of the whole speech and dissected it part by part in order to find out if he indeed called Obama a “son of a wh*re,” or if it was just the media adding a spin. We eventually proved that he DID NOT call Obama that, and was actually referring to the reporter who asked him a question. This, unfortunately, was conveniently cropped by the media, making it look like Duterte was cursing Obama. Way to go, media, for messing up people’s mind.
This October 4, 2016, Duterte made a stir in the international media again as he apparently told Obama to go to hell, and the European Union to just go and choose the purgatory since hell is already full.
Don’t get me wrong, Duterte has been stirring up the international media scene even before this issue. As far as the information we found is concerned, this all started when the U.S. issued a 4-paragraph statement about their concern against Duterte and the Philippines.
Here is what the statement highlighted:
- Duterte calling U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg “gay” and a “son of a bitch“
- Duterte saying the U.S.’ pledge of $32 million for law enforcement was a way of making amends with the Philippines
- Hundreds being killed through extrajudicial means as Duterte wages a bloody war against illegal drugs
Ever since this statement, Duterte filled his speeches with colorful remarks and tirades against the U.S. in particular. Even President Obama admittedly accepts that Duterte is a “colorful” guy.
So, what was it this time?
I got my hands on Duterte’s whole speech and watched it, not to defend him and his dirty mouth, after all as he said in one of his speeches:
“Do not keep complaining about my mouth because my mouth is not the problem. It cannot bring down a country,”
I repeat, I am not a die-hard Duterte supporter, nor any past Presidentiables for that matter. I just believe what the Washington Post said, “this is about the drug war, not Duterte’s language.”
From the very start of his campaign, he already told people that he will go all out in this drug war. Now he is wondering why he can’t even have freedom of speech in his own country without offending anyone.
Back to his speech, did he really tell Obama to go to hell?
YES. He did. There is no denying that. But instead of partying and flailing misleading headlines, we will go deeper and understand why he said it.
The issue of extrajudicial killings
Here is how he started it. He was asking why the drug war in Mexico is not questioned while the Philippines is being scrutinized for the extrajudicial killings, which he did not even order in the first place.
He went on and said that even if it was already being used when he was still a Mayor, “extrajudicial killing” is not really what it seemed before. He said it was just his election rival who was tagging it as that. Every time a dead body was found in Davao before and no witness was found, his rival would seize the opportunity and shout “Oh! This is extrajudicial killing! They are killing people” and stuff like that.
See, according to Duterte, you would notice that even in the past election, the issue “extrajudicial killing” was never an issue against him. “Not even during the debates.”
How did it all come to this?
If it wasn’t an issue, how did it all come down to this? Here’s what happened, according to Duterte himself:
“Yung rating, tumaas nako ng tumaas (my rating went up.) Kinarga ni Trillanes mga basura, yung Inquirer taga tapon din ng basura, lahat sila, ans ABS-CBN too. (Trillanes threw garbage at my increasing rating, and Inquirer, and ABS-CBN too.)”
This is the result of having people working together and throwing garbage (mudslinging) at him just when his rating is going up. He said he can prove it because he has records of it.
They did not use that issue until it was late and all sorts of garbage were thrown at him. This, he said, was what the NGOs who owe their fundings to other countries rode thereon just for the sake of having a say.
What did Obama have to do with this?
After this, it was picked up by the Americans.
“Pati yung State Department, Si Obama.”
Duterte is pointing out that what the Americans picked up were actually garbage that was thrown at him and is not even true in the first place.
And then, in his anger, he went on saying that even if it is indeed true, the U.S. has no right to meddle with how he runs his country:
“And even then, assuming it to be true, we are a member of the United Nations, it would be far different if I remain to be a Mayor. But ako presidente (But I am the President), I carry the Republic of the Philippines. Now, if you start hitting me like this, mapapahiya yung mga Pilipino nasa labas ‘Ah, kayo pala, murderer presidente niyo’ (The Filipinos outside the country will be put to shame ‘I heard your President is a murderer.'”
“There is an international forum, you bring it there, have it referred to the Human Rights Commission, then send the raporteur to investigate and make a report, then go back to the body, and magdaldal ka muna doon (talk there first.)”
According to him, how would you feel if you are reprimanded by another country when in fact you are both members of the United Nations. Of course he will fight back:
“When you are in the receiving end of a wrath, your only way out is to insult. That was my retaliation to them.”
Duterte’s anger towards Obama
“Ako galit sakanya talaga (I am really mad at him.)”
- One reason he said is that the Americans are disrespectful. He mentioned the Filipino soldiers that we have in the U.S., he said, we won’t get anything from them. Even the equipments that they lend to us during the war are not compatible with the ones the Filipinos have, so they will have a reason to take it back after.
- In the issue about China, he said, he went to just talk to them because he only had two choices, those were to fight or talk. If he chose to fight, the Americans, according to him will not fight with us, they won’t risk their lives fighting for us.
- Even the F50 jets that the Philippines bought from Korea, he said it was made in the U.S. but were only assembled in Korea. So naturally, if the Philippines wanted to buy missiles and the 50 calibre mechanism for it, they will ask the US, which the US declined.
These are just some of the reasons he is angry. In his anger, he even said:
“I’ll pour water on his head if he lies to me.”
That is why he lost his confidence in the Americans.
His sacred duty
“You cannot stop me, it is my sacred duty, although it may sound ‘shit’ to you. It is my sacred to keep the integrity of this Republic and the people healthy.”
He also mentioned that Shabu is ruining the people and it is his right to protect his people from it.
Losing his respect
“Nawalan nako ng respeto sa (I already lost my respect to) America because instead of helping us, alam nila (they know), because they have a government similar as ours.
He also said that while they are questioning him and asking why he has to kill people instead of putting them in a rehab, it is easier said than done.
It would be impossible without money, he said the U.S. knows that he can’t just get money from other departments just to build the rehab centers. The U.S. knows that because they have a government:
“Instead of helping us, and unang tumira ay itong State Department (the first one to throw the stone at us is the State Department.”
“So, you can go to hell. Mr. Obama, you can go to hell. Yung EU (European Union) you better choose purgatory, puno na sa impyerno (hell is already full.)”
You can watch the full video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaxPLlYmX-s
So there is his reason. He told Obama to go to hell for not helping the Philippines and condemning him instead.
At the end of his speech he mentioned jokingly that even if he says something politically unethical, it is just his mental thinking, he mentioned that sometimes his mouth does not follow what his mind is saying. He said the connectives sometimes make his mouth move first without thinking.
Image via MB.
