Respect him or else endure his wrath.
President Duterte is prepared to give a “lecture” on the “finer points of civilization” to any world leader who may question his campaign against illegal drugs at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Peru.
Aware that he is “not popular” among some leaders, the President has warned that he would not allow anyone to walk all over him at the summit this weekend.
“I don’t know kung anong pag-uusapan namin dito pero ‘pag nagkamali na naman silang, gusto nila maka-isa, nagpraktis na ako kagabi. Makatikim talaga sila sa akin. And I will lecture on them the finer points of civilization,” the President said before traveling to Peru for the regional talks yesterday.
“Huwag niyong solohin ‘yung ano. Kayo lang parating tigas eh, kaya lang, you threaten us as if we are your laborers.
Sabay ipakulong ako. Ano, pakulong? Isama ko kayong lahat,” a confident Duterte said.
Duterte, the former Davao City mayor prone to profanity in public speeches, assured that he would be “guided only by the best interest of the people.”
In recent weeks, the President has bristled at criticisms from Western nations like the United States and the European Union over his war on drugs, saying they have been disrespectful in reprimanding a sovereign leader in public.
He has also accused them of hypocrisy for their human rights concerns in the Philippines even though their nations have been implicated in domestic abuses.
The President’s sentiment against his foreign critics, however, was apparently not shared by his Cabinet. “Lahat sa Cabinet they were sullen, ganon sila lahat,” Duterte said.
He said Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez even told him that he was the “most unpopular leader in Europe.”
“Sabi ko, never mind, son. I’m the President of the Philippines. I’m not their President. I don’t care. I don’t give a shit. Basta ako dito,” Duterte added.
The President is expected to join 20 other Pacific Rim leaders in Lima for talks on the challenges to free trade and investments, food security, and environmental concerns, among others. US President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Chinese President Xi Jinping are among the leaders attending the APEC assembly.
(GENALYN D. KABILING)