Duterte Tells Pres. Barack Obama He Might Go Bilateral with China

Presumptive President of the Republic of the Philippines, Mayor Rody Duterte revealed to the media that the head of state of United States of America, Pres. Barack Obama called to congratulate him and talk about the country’s relations to the US and his stands on the the Spratly islands dispute. Mayor Rody Duterte told Pres. Obama that he might go bilateral talks with China but also maintains that the US remains an ally of the country.

Mayor Duterte Indians

In an interview with reporters, Mayor Duterte told the US President on Tuesday night that he assured that the Philippines will remain an ally of the US regarding the disputes with China in the hotly contested Philippine Sea or South China Sea.

The former Davao City Mayor was quoted as saying “…I assured him [Obama] that we will continue with our mutual interests and that we are allied with the Western [World] in this issue on China Sea. But I gave him an inkling that, well, I would agree to just go with you,” Duterte told reporters.

“But if it goes on still waters, I said, there’s no wind to move the sail, I might opt to go bilateral,” he added.

Mayor Duterte also clarified that Pres. Obama urged him to wait for the result of the arbitration. The call of Pres. Obama to the presumptive president came while the incoming president was recording a one-on-one interview with GMA News veteran anchor Jessica Soho, the Davao City chief executiv then excused himself and told Soho that he need to attend to an important phone call.

When the incoming president returned to resume the recorded interview with Jessica Soho, he revealed that it was indeed Pres. Obama who was on the other side of the line to congratulate his win in the highly anticipated national and local elections of the Philippines.

In the Untied States, a senior Washington aide confirmed to international meda that Pres. Obama spoke by telephone with the incoming president of the Republic of the Philippines, Pres. Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte.

Aside from President Obama, other international diplomats also met with the incoming president such as the envoys of Chinese, Japanese and Israeli governments that personally visited the city of Davao. The Russian ambassador to the Philippines also met with President Rody on Wednesday.

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