Duterte says EU countries can cut diplomatic ties with Philippines

October 12, 2017

President Rodrigo Duterte dared on Thursday those who were pushing for the Philippines' expulsion from the United Nations, saying they could go ahead.

In a speech during the relaunching of the newly-renovated Malacanang Press Briefing Room, Duterte again uttered expletives against the European Union and those critical of his war on drugs.

He even said that EU countries could cut its diplomatic ties with the Philippines.

"The ambassadors of those countries are listening now. Tell me because we can have the diplomatic channel cut tomorrow. You leave my country within 24 hours. All, all of you," he said.

Duterte again became irked with the EU after some members of the EU Parliament who visited the Philippines recently warned Manila could be expelled from the United Nations Human Rights Council and could forfeit its preferential trade with EU.

But Philippine Special Envoy to the EU Edgardo Angara has said the seven-member delegation, which gave the warning about the Philippine expulsion to UNHRC did not represent the governing majority in the EU Parliament.

"You want to expel us, you try.. you think China and the rest of ASEAN will agree to that. Where will be the crucial vote will come, it's with the Security Council. And you think that China and Russia will allow that?," Duterte added.

China and Russia are two of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

While Duterte earlier said he would be friendly with the United States now, however, he said that if he would be killed, the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States would be behind it.

"I'm telling the Filipinos, if I would be killed, that's (because of) America, that's CIA," he said.

Meanwhile, Duterte appeared to be sarcastic in the issuance of a memorandum allowing the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency to be the sole and lead agency in the anti-drug operations.

In the same speech, Duterte cited the over a hundred policemen and soldiers killed in the campaign against illegal drugs as compared to a few PDEA agents who were wounded and one killed.

"Praise the bleeding hearts now because I already did everything that I could do...why are you just looking at the deaths of the suspected addicts?," Duterte said.

He said critics of the anti-drug campaign have "cheapened the deaths of my soldiers and policemen and the one million three hundred (drug users and pushers who surrendered)," the President added.

Duterte said he did his best to address the drug problem. Celerina Monte/DMS