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| Southeast Asia |
| US says it will work with controversial new Philippines leader |
| 2016-05-11 |
| [ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The United States said on Tuesday it would work with the apparent victor of the Philippines presidential election but declined to say if it had any concerns about the controversial policies advocated by maverick Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. "Washington respects the choice of the Philippine people. We gladly work with the leaders they’ve selected," State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said without identifying Duterte by name. When pressed about whether the United States had any concerns about positions advocated by the tough-talking Duterte, including extrajudicial killings to stamp out crimes and drugs, Trudeau repeated her statement that Washington respected the choice of the voters. "We look forward to working with the leader that the Philippines has elected," she said. An official winner had not yet been declared in the Philippines vote, but an unofficial count by an election commission-accredited watchdog showed he had a huge lead over his two closest rivals, both of whom conceded defeat. Trudeau said several of the presidential contenders had noted that a winner had been unofficially named and welcomed the fact that the vote had been conducted "smoothly and enjoyed historically high levels of participation." Duterte’s vows to restore law and order resonated with Philippine voters, but his incendiary rhetoric and advocacy of extrajudicial killings to stamp out crime and drugs alarmed many people, who saw it as harkening back to the country’s authoritarian past. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #4 How long ago was that 49? just curious. I'm hearing from some people that it's one of the safest cities in Asia now - after Duterte cleaned it up. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2016-05-11 13:21 |
| #3 I believe Elizabeth Kennedy Trudeau. Any relations to middle and/or last name, because I would be just shocked. |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2016-05-11 13:13 |
| #2 Good point skid. I have spent a lot of time in Davao. The crime there is crazy. There is the NPA, MILF, ASG, and the ARMM. There is mining there and each group extorts their 7%. When the mine fails to pay it get blown up. The airport gets bombed every six months. It is the Wild West. Extra judicial killings are business as usual down there. |
| Posted by: 49 pan 2016-05-11 12:19 |
| #1 "Washington respects the choice of the Philippine people." Wonder why there's so much excitement about Tr(i)umph? |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2016-05-11 10:32 |