US President Donald Trump allegedly told his Philippine counterpart Rodriguez Duterte that he is "doing an excellent job," despite the controversial "War on Drugs" in which thousands of people have been liquidated in the Philippines without trial.
Reuters reports that, prior to the call, Duterte said he planned to ask Trump to demonstrate restraint against North Korean leader Kim Jong Un who wants to "end this world."
"I'm going to tell Trump to let him play with his toys and not to go to his hand.
This guy (Kim) wants to end this world and that's why he is very happy, he's always smiling, but in fact, he wants to finish us all," Duterte said.
President of Philippines doing his job rationally?
Trump's call to Duterte to visit him in the White House opened his administration to a new criticism that the White House attempted to diminish by claiming that they were aware of the importance of human rights. The White House noted that they need allies in Asia due to the global threat posed by the North Korean nuclear program.
Duterte's spokesman Ernesto Abella said yesterday that Trump was aware of the criticism of the Philippine president, but despite that, he praised him for "doing an excellent job, given the complexity and conditions in the Philippines".
It was unclear whether Abella quoted Trump just in the context of the "war on drugs" or praised Duterte having in mind all aspects of his mandate. "I'm sure Donald Trump is aware of the whole situation, and from his point of view it seems that President of Philippines is doing his job rationally," Abella said.
Duterte's convictions
Duterte is facing the convictions of a large part of the international community because of accusations that specially formed police units systematically kills drug addicts and drug dealers. These claims have so far been dismissed. On the other hand, Duterte is praised for the way he is managing one of the fastest-growing world economies, especially because of support to farmers and small entrepreneurs, infrastructure development and poverty alleviation in a country where one-fifth of the population lives on less than $1 per day.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte and eleven of his officials have been indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Massacre of Suspects for Crime and Drug Trafficking in Drugs, which is more than 8,000 lives by estimates. Lawyer Jude Josue Sabio referred to the thousands of suspects who had been killed since Duterte became president in June 2016.
This decision is the first time a Philippine president was charged with crimes against humanity.