Duterte on discussing human rights with Obama: Nobody has the right to lecture me

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday said he does not owe US President Barack Obama any explanation regarding the issues on extrajudicial killings and human rights abuses hounding his three-month-old administration.

"The Philippines is not vassal state. We have long ceased to be a colony of the United States," Duterte said at a press briefing in Davao City before leaving for Laos for the ASEAN Summit where he is expected to meet with Obama.

“You must be respectful. Do not throw away questions and statements. P ----- mo, murahin kita diyan sa forum na iyan. Huwag mo akong ganoonin. Tell that to everybody,” the President snapped.

Duterte, who is being criticized for his bloody war against illegal drug syndicates, also blasted unnamed columnists for acting like "lapdogs" of Obama and the US.

"I do not respond to anybody but to the people of the Philippines. Wala akong pakialam sa kanya. Who is he?" Duterte said before noting what happened when the US occupied the Philippines before World War II.

“As a matter of fact, he has so many—America has one too many to answer for the misdeeds in this country. Hanggang ngayon, hindi pa tayo nakatikim ng apology diyan. That is the reason why Mindanao continues to boil. Sabi mo, that was the last century, iyang mga wounds na iyan from generation to generation. As a matter of fact, we inherited this problem from the United States. Why? Because they invaded this country and made us their subjugated people,” the President lashed out.

Despite everything he said, Duterte clarified that he is not going to pick a fight with Obama, but continued to stress Philippines' independence.

“There are a lot of you so much about extrajudicial killings then connect it with Obama. I do not want to pick a quarrel with Obama, but certainly I would not appear to be beholden to anybody… This is an independent country. Nobody has the right to lecture on me. God. Do not do it,” he said.

“Gusto mo the right word? Magkababuyan tayo doon kapag ginawa mo sa akin iyan. I do not accept that preposition that anybody is superior that me. We are supposed to be equal there. My country might be small, hardly keeping up with the economic problems but I will not allow myself—insultuhin mo, insultuhin mo ang Pilipino,” Duterte then warned.

On September 2, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said that Obama will not pull any punches on human rights during his meeting Duterte.

Meanwhile, Duterte previously said that Obama needs to listen to him and understand the illegal drug situation in the country first before discussing human rights issues during their bilateral meeting.

Campaign vs. drugs to continue

Despite the growing international criticisms against his campaign versus drugs, Duterte is firm that this war will not end until there are no more pushers in the streets.

“Kung hindi kayo maghinto diyan sa droga—the campaign against drugs will continue. Maraming mamatay diyan. Plenty will be killed until the last pusher is out of the streets. Until the drug manufacturer is killed, we will continue and I will continue and I do not give a shit to anybody observing my behavior,” the President maintained.

"It will continue until such time I can proclaim to the nation that we are drug-free. And that is my only purpose in this presidency, so be it. If you remove me because of the killings, then it shall be so," Duterte stressed.

The President then turned the table and slammed the US for the supposed human rights violations against migrants.

"Everybody has a terrible record of extrajudicial killing. Why make an issue of fighting crime? Ni hindi niya maubos-ubos iyang sa Mexico border niya. Look at the human rights of America along that line. The way they treat the migrants there," Duterte pointed out. — KBK/RSJ, GMA News