02 November 2016•Update: 04 November 2016
By Hader Glang
ZAMBOANGA CITY, the Philippines
The Philippines' president has belittled an apparent decision by the U.S. to call off the sale of 26,000 assault rifles to his police force, saying he could just turn to Russia or China instead.
“Is that all they can say to threaten me?" the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Wednesday quoted Duterte as saying during a visit to the tombs of his parents in Davao City.
"That they will not sell firearms to us? We have many air rifles here.”
The comments are the latest in a succession of outbursts the Philippines' leader has made against America -- the Philippines’ long-time ally -- since taking office in June.
He said a Russian diplomat had previously told him: “'come to Russia. We all have here anything you need'.”
“Even China is open. [We can provide you] anything you want. They even sent us brochure,” he added.
Duterte echoed the sentiment Wednesday as he returned 17 Vietnamese fishermen to their homeland, two months after they were apprehended for poaching.
The Philippine Star reported him describing Americans as “crazies” and “monkeys”.
“Look at those monkeys, the 26,000 rifles that we are supposed to buy from them, they no longer want to sell. Son of a b***h. We have lots of air guns here. Crazies! Those crazy Americans.”
American Sen. Ben Cardin, a top Democrat in foreign relations committee in the U.S. Senate, has said he will block the transaction in the wake of alleged human rights abuses during Duterte's administration’s campaign against illegal drugs.
Human Rights Watch have claimed that the Philippines' police force is deeply implicated in Duterte’s "abusive" war, which it claims has resulted in the deaths of nearly 5,000 Filipinos since he took office in June.
