Obama cancels meeting with president of the Philippines following insult

Rodrigo Duterte.
(Image credit: Noel Celis/AFP/Getty Images)

President Obama has canceled a meeting with the president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, scheduled for Tuesday, following an outburst by Duterte.

Since June, more than 2,000 suspected drug dealers have been killed in the Philippines, and Obama said he would discuss with Duterte "international norms" regarding due process. In response, The Associated Press reports Duterte said his country is a "sovereign state and we have long ceased to be a colony. I do not have any master except the Filipino people, nobody but nobody. You must be respectful. Do not just throw questions. 'Putang ina' I will swear at you in that forum." That is the Tagalog phrase for "son of a bitch" or "son of a whore."

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.