Duterte Calls Trudeau Comment on War on Drugs 'a Personal and Official Insult'
Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte told reporters November 14 that he was offended by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s questions regarding his drug-related killings.
“I will not explain. It is a personal and official insult,” Duterte said. “It angers me when you are a foreigner, you do not know early what is happening in this country. You do not investigate.”
He said he would only answer to the people of the Philippines, as they were the ones who elected him as president.
Trudeau, however, said following their exchange at the 31st ASEAN Summit in Manila that the Philippines president was “receptive” of his comments and that the interaction was “cordial and positive”.
The topic of human rights regarding Duterte’s war on drugs was not brought up by other leaders during the summit. Human rights groups have reported around 13,000 drug-related killings since Duterte began his presidency, though the government puts the number at 3,967, the Manila Times reported. Credit: RTVMalacanang via Storyful
