Filipino pottymouth Rodrigo Duterte is stepping back from brash remarks that prompted President Obama to nix their Laos rendezvous.
On Tuesday, Philippines president Duterte expressed “regret” for insulting Obama with a candid Tagalog phrase that means “son of a bitch.”
The country’s Department of Foreign Affairs agreed to postpone Tuesday’s bilateral meetup with U.S. officials because of “issues that still need to be worked on.”
“While the immediate cause was my strong comments to certain press questions that elicited concern and distress, we also regret that it came across as a personal attack on the U.S. President,” Duterte said through a spokesman.
The leaders were scheduled to meet in Laos for a regional summit, but Duterte spewed choice words at a press conference, warning Obama not to “lecture” him for waging a deadly war on drugs. More than 2,000 suspected drug dealers have been killed since Duterte took office in June.
Duterte also pledged he would fling more profane remarks at Obama should he challenge the Philippine’s anti-drug tactics in front of world leaders at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations .
“Clearly, he’s a colorful guy,” Obama said after landing Monday for the Laos summit.
In his take-back remarks, Duterte urged for a calmer approach to U.S.-Philippines relations — unlike his earlier outburst.