Philippines ignores U.S. concern over Duterte's derogatory remarks on ambassador

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Saturday to address two concerns raised by the U.S. embassy in Manila earlier, but ignored the embassy's concern over President Rodrigo Duterte calling U.S. Ambassador to Manila Philip Goldberg "gay" and "son of a bitch."

On Friday, the U.S. embassy issued a statement saying the comments were "inappropriate and unacceptable."

In a speech before army troops on Friday, Duterte mentioned a lunch meeting with visiting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Manila last month.

Duterte said Kerry, who offered more than 30 million U.S. dollars in aid for law enforcement training, was "OK" but he criticized Goldberg, saying "I had a feud with his ambassador, his gay ambassador. Son of a bitch."

The U.S. statement clarified that the 32-million U.S. Dollar -pledge is not new funding and that "assistance provided by these funds is subject to the same rigorous vetting."

The embassy also voiced concern over the "extrajudicial killings" of people suspected to have involved in the illegal drug activities in the country.

The Philippine statement said it "took note" of the concerns raised by the U.S. embassy but directly addressed only the two issues, and completely ignored the remarks on the "gay" issue.

Duterte told reporters Friday that he would not apologize to Goldberg, adding that the American envoy was not at all sorry for what he said during the presidential campaign period.

Goldberg earned the ire of Duterte when the envoy criticized then presidential candidate Duterte for making light of the rape and killing of an Australian woman missionary during a jail riot in Davao City in 1989.

The Office of the President released to media the foreign department statement, saying the Duterte administration welcomes the media statement issued by the U.S. embassy.

"We took note of their on issues of mutual concern," it said.

"We do not condone any unlawful killings and Philippine authorities have been instructed to immediately look into these incidents and bring the perpetrators to justice," it added.

"Law enforcement officials are expected to abide by legal procedures and strict operational protocols. Alleged violations of these protocols will be investigated by the authorities and those who have broken the law will be prosecuted," the statement said.

It also stressed that the Duterte administration is "committed to the rule of law" in its campaign against illegal drugs.

"The Philippine government is focused on its peace and order efforts, including the eradication of illicit drugs and its manufacture, distribution and use from our society. Nevertheless, while pursuing this objective, the Philippine government is committed to the rule of law, and the protection of human rights of all," the statement read.

The statement said Manila welcomes U.S. embassy's "reaffirmation of the longstanding ties between the Philippines and the United States, and the importance of the strategic alliance vis-à-vis our shared values and shared goals."

"We look to the substantial and meaningful assistance of the United States in pursuit of our own national objectives, especially in addressing the issues of counterterrorism, maritime security and economic cooperation," it said. Endit