Duterte wants US to say why it is warning Philippines from buying Russian subs

August 18, 2018

DAVAO CITY - President Rodrigo Duterte dared the US to explain why it warned the Philippine government from proceeding with its plan to buy a submarine from Russia.

He said, in a speech on Friday night, that he challenged the US government to invite him in any forum where he warned he would also invite “everyone else’.

Duterte said he could not understand why the US would hold back his government from buying one from Russia and surmised the US wanted the Philippines to remain backward. “You want us to remain backwards? Vietnam has seven, Malaysia has two, Indonesia has about eight,” he said.

“We don’t have any but you would not give us one either,” he said. “(Instead) you sold us used Nato (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) helicopters.”

He said three helicopters exploded, the last one happened in Lipa, Batangas. “That helicopter just took off  but crashed and exploded,” said Duterte.

“Is that the way to treat an ally and you want us to stay with you for all time?,” he said.

Duterte said the US might as well talk about it among its experts. “You claim to be bright. You have your Harvard (educated experts}. Talk about it. Why did you not stop the other countries in Asia. Why do you hold us back?”

Duterte said he was apprehensive if the US would give them a submarine similar to what he described as “refurbished Nato helicopters”, it might suffer the same fate. “If they implode, it would explode from the inside, just like your helicopters.”

“Give me the reason why and make it public,” he said.

“There we are fighting on that principle. Why, what’s the problem about acquiring submarines? We are not using it against you, or China or others else, because we are underarmed,” he added. DMS