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President Rodrigo Duterte called on nations who have been engaged in geopolitical tensions "not to hate each other too much."

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Duterte, in his message during the General Debate of the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, noted that geopolitical tensions continue to rise in various parts of the world.

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"Escalating tensions benefit no one. New flashpoints heighten fears and tend to tear peoples apart. When elephants fight, it is the grass that gets trampled flat," he said.

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He warned of the possible huge repercussions if tensions continue to heat up.

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"Given the size and military might of the contenders, we can only imagine and be aghast at the terrible toll on human life and property that shall be inflicted if the 'word war' deteriorates into a real war of nuclear weapons and missiles," Duterte said.

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"I therefore call on the stakeholders in the South China Sea, the Korean Peninsula, the Middle East and Africa: if we cannot be friends as yet, then in God’s name, let us not hate each other too much. I heard it once said, and I say it to myself in complete agreement," he stressed.

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Duterte also rejected the use of nuclear weapons as he called on all UN member states to fully implement the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and the Chemical and Biological Weapons Conventions.

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"There is no excuse for deaths that a nuclear war could cause nor the reckless use of chemical and biological weapons that can cause mass destruction," he said.

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"These weapons of death put us all at mortal risk, especially if they fall in the hands of terrorists without a shred of humanity in their souls," Duterte added.

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He said he asked the Philippine Senate to ratify the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and Manila was one among those to sign it first.

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In the same speech, Duterte reiterated the Philippines' openness to accept refugees, such as the Rohingyas.

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"The Philippines continues to honor this humanitarian tradition in accordance with our obligations under the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol," he said.

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But he said that helping the most vulnerable, such as those displaced by conflict, persecution, and political instability, is a "shared responsibility" of all countries.

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"As I have said many times: The doors of the Philippines are open, as they have always been, to everyone fleeing for safety, such as the Rohingyas," he said.

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"In the face of a mounting refugee crisis worldwide, let us work together towards ending the conflicts and conditions that force people to flee their homes," Duterte added. Celerina Monte/DMS