Duterte reiterates he won’t visit US during his term

July 21, 2017

President Rodrigo Duterte reiterated on Friday his position there would never come a time he would visit the United States. Duterte made the statement after some US lawmakers, who conducted a hearing on the alleged extrajudicial killings in the Philippines of drug suspects, he should not be invited in the White House. "I will revisit my statements when I was confronted with these questions (by) the human rights (groups) including (former President Barack) Obama. What did I tell you? Try to remember," he said. "You guys must be dreaming. When I was asked that question several months ago, when I was being crucified and castigated by the Obama administration and somebody asked me, one of you, one of the members of the media. I told you, there will never be a time, kindly take the footages there, review. This is exactly what I said in front of the people and media, 'There will never be a time that I will go to America during my term or even thereafter.' Remember? Did you remember that?," he added. Last April, during a phone conversation, US President Donald Trump invited Duterte to visit the White House.  Duterte said he visited US several years ago. "I've seen America and it's lousy," he said as he reiterated his accusation that the US has committed lots of human rights violations. "It would be good for the US Congress to start with their own investigation of their own violations of the so many civilian killings or killed in the prosecution of the war in the Middle East," Duterte said. Celerina Monte/DMS