03 November 2016

News Story: Duterte breaks promise, curses US over gun sale plan

Pia Ranada

President Rodrigo Duterte curses the US anew over its reported plan to halt the sale of 26,000 guns to the Philippine National Police

PANGASINAN, Philippines – It took President Rodrigo Duterte less than a week to break his promise to God and Filipinos that he would stop mouthing expletives in public.

The Philippine leader reverted to his old habit on Wednesday, November 2, following reports that the United States planned to stop selling assault rifles to the Philippine government.

"Yung 26,000 na baril na bibilhin natin sa kanila [United States], ayaw nang ipagbili. 'Tangina mo," (The 26,000 guns we were supposed to buy from them, they don't want to sell them to us anymore. You son of a bitch.) he said in a speech on Wednesday, in Sual, Pangasinan, where he led the send-off for Vietnamese fishermen caught poaching in Philippine waters.

"Loko-loko eh. Pati ba naman 'yan (They're crazy. Even that)?" he added.

On October 27, Duterte said in a news briefing at the Davao airport that during his plane ride to his home city from Tokyo, Japan, he promised God that he would stop cursing. (READ: Duterte heard God's voice: Stop cursing or I'll bring plane down)

Six days later, he changed his tune after Reuters reported that the US State Department reportedly stopped the sale of guns to the Philippines at the behest of Senator Ben Cardin. The US lawmaker was concerned that US guns might be used in the Duterte administration's controversial war on drugs.

Read the full story at Rappler