President Rodrigo Duterte, who usually says expletives towards the US, said that he doesn’t want to pick a fight with the next United States President Donald Trump.
“Ayaw ko nga, sabi ko, makipag-away kasi nandiyan na si Trump,” Duterte said on Wednesday night while he was attending a gathering of Filipinos in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
“I would like to congratulate President Trump. Mabuhay ka!” he added.
Being dubbed as “Trump of the East” during the Philippine presidential elections, Duterte himself acknowledged that there were similarities between the two.
“Pareho tayo nagmumura. Kaonting rason lang, mura kaagad. Medyo pareho kami,” Duterte said.
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The President also added that he doesn’t want to fight and it seems to be that he was asked to just “shut up” about the US elections.
“Ayaw ko po ng kalaban, but I cannot also—sabi kasi nila, tapos na ang election, nanalo na si Trump, why don’t we just shut up,” he said.
The Palace already released a congratulatory statement from President Duterte to Trump, saying that he hopes for an “enhanced Philippines-US relations anchored on mutual respect, mutual benefit, and shared commitment to democratic ideals and the rule of law.”
Trump, on the other hand, has also expressed his willingness to work with other nations in a speech that he gave once the polls showed that he was likely to be the next US president.
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“We will get along with all other nations willing to get along with us. We will be. We will have great relationships. We expect to have great, great relationships. No dream is too big, no challenge is too great. Nothing we want for our future is beyond our reach,” Trump said.
“I want to tell the world community that while we will always put America’s interest first, we will deal fairly with everyone, with everyone. All people and all other nations. We will seek common ground, not hostility; partnership, not conflict.”
Sources: (gmanetwork.com, rappler.com)
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