Words Matter | Edel Seronay
The strong bilateral ties between the United States of America and Philippines have established a long-lasting diplomatic relations since 1946. Thus, their partnership is expected to become a better foothold to promote stability and peace. However, just recently, a strong condemnation was directed to the Philippines. On the issue towards extrajudicial killings, the 16th president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Roa Duterte was questioned by a certain reporter and he gave a response on how he would explain to the U.S. the extrajudicial killings of more than 2,000 suspected drug dealers and users in his home country. He also warned Obama to “not just throw questions” at him during their meeting, and reminded the American president “we have long ceased to be a colony.” What made it an issue was when Duterte let fly the phrase “putang ina” in his remarks Monday, translated from Tagalog into “son of a b–.” As a result, the White House cancelled its meeting with the president. “Clearly, he’s a colorful guy,” Obama said afterward (Toh, 2016).
It backfired with Hilary Clinton’s statement on President Duterte to show some respect (Javier, 2016). She also commented that the White House made the right decision on cancelling the meeting. Different reactions were given despite Duterte’s regret on hurling the profanity at Obama. This clearly sparks a new outlook on international relations. We may have created a distinction of our role in the international arena with the hegemon state. With the Philippines’ new administration, there are a lot of new undertakings to encounter and this is just the beginning.
Sources:
Javier, K. (2016, September 7). Hillary says Obama made 'right choice' after Duterte's remarks. Retrieved from Philippine Star: http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/09/07/1621348/hillary-says-obama-made-right-choice-after-dutertes-remarks
Toh, M. (2016, September 7). Hillary Clinton Tells Philippine President Duterte to Show Some 'Respect'. Retrieved from Fortune: http://fortune.com/2016/09/07/hillary-clinton-duterte-obama-respect/
The strong bilateral ties between the United States of America and Philippines have established a long-lasting diplomatic relations since 1946. Thus, their partnership is expected to become a better foothold to promote stability and peace. However, just recently, a strong condemnation was directed to the Philippines. On the issue towards extrajudicial killings, the 16th president of the Philippines, Rodrigo Roa Duterte was questioned by a certain reporter and he gave a response on how he would explain to the U.S. the extrajudicial killings of more than 2,000 suspected drug dealers and users in his home country. He also warned Obama to “not just throw questions” at him during their meeting, and reminded the American president “we have long ceased to be a colony.” What made it an issue was when Duterte let fly the phrase “putang ina” in his remarks Monday, translated from Tagalog into “son of a b–.” As a result, the White House cancelled its meeting with the president. “Clearly, he’s a colorful guy,” Obama said afterward (Toh, 2016).
It backfired with Hilary Clinton’s statement on President Duterte to show some respect (Javier, 2016). She also commented that the White House made the right decision on cancelling the meeting. Different reactions were given despite Duterte’s regret on hurling the profanity at Obama. This clearly sparks a new outlook on international relations. We may have created a distinction of our role in the international arena with the hegemon state. With the Philippines’ new administration, there are a lot of new undertakings to encounter and this is just the beginning.
Sources:
Javier, K. (2016, September 7). Hillary says Obama made 'right choice' after Duterte's remarks. Retrieved from Philippine Star: http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/09/07/1621348/hillary-says-obama-made-right-choice-after-dutertes-remarks
Toh, M. (2016, September 7). Hillary Clinton Tells Philippine President Duterte to Show Some 'Respect'. Retrieved from Fortune: http://fortune.com/2016/09/07/hillary-clinton-duterte-obama-respect/