Philippine president regrets if Obama 'son of a whore' comment 'came across as a personal attack'

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte regrets if Obama took personal attack personally

(Image credit: Noel Celis/AFP/Getty Images)

published 6 September 2016

On Monday, President Obama scrapped a meeting scheduled for Tuesday with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, after Duterte said he would call Obama "putang ina," a Tagalog phrase meaning "son of a bitch" or "son or a whore." On Tuesday in Laos — where Obama and Duterte are both attending a regional summit — Duterte said in a statement read by a spokesman that his "strong comments" have "elicited concern and distress, we also regret it came across as a personal attack on the U.S. president." He described the canceled meeting as mutually postponed, and said, "We look forward to ironing out differences arising out of national priorities and perceptions, and working in mutually responsible ways for both countries."

Saying you regret if your impolitic insult was consorted as a personal attack isn't really an apology, The Associated Press notes, but "the expression of regret is a rare instance when the tough-talking former mayor has expressed contrition for his remarks that often slide into profanity." Duterte has also sworn at Pope Francis and U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, for example. Duterte's outburst was sparked by a question over Obama's stated intention to talk to the Philippine president about due process, following the death of more than 2,000 suspected drug dealers and users since Duterte took office at the end of June.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

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