Trump on PHL: Most prime piece of military real estate

United States President Donald Trump highlighted the strategic importance of the Philippines from a military standpoint, as he touted the strong ties between the two countries before his departure from Manila on Tuesday.

Trump left the country following talks with counterpart Rodrigo Duterte, as the two seemed to bond with mutual praise, warm handshakes and even an impromptu love song.

"And now we have a very, very strong relationship with the Philippines, which is really important: less so for trade, in this case, than for military purposes. It is a strategic location, the most strategic location," Trump said. 

"And if you look at it, it’s called the most prime piece of real estate from the military standpoint. So it’s very important that we get along with the Philippines and we really do. We have a good very good relationship. I would actually say, probably, better than ever before," added Trump, who meetings that tackled South China Sea disputes and the nuclear threat in the Korean peninsula.

On his departure, Trump mocked the record of his predecessor Barack Obama when it comes to relations in Southeast Asia.

"Vietnam treated us incredibly as did the Philippines and which we have been treated nicer... I would say horrible by putting it mildly," he said.

Duterte had lashed out over comments made by Obama last year about the Philippine government's bloody war on drugs, telling the then-US president to "go to hell", shocking American businesses and a Philippine military heavily reliant on the help of the Pentagon.

There were conflicting accounts of what was discussed between Trump and Duterte on Monday.

A White House spokeswoman said human rights was talked about, in the context of the drugs war. Duterte's spokesman, Harry Roque, said that was not the case, although Duterte had explained his anti-drugs campaign to Trump, who nodded and "seemed to be in agreement".

"The relationship appears to be very warm and very friendly, getting very candid," Roque said. "They have similar feelings towards former US President Barack Obama." —with a report from Reuters/JST, GMA News