President Rodrigo Duterte accommodates the press at the Roman Catholic Cemetery in Davao City on November 1. The President, accompanied by his youngest son Sebastian Duterte, visits his parents’ grave in the traditional observance of Undas (All Saints’ Day). (SIMEON CELI/ Presidential Photo)
DAVAO CITY, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte said he has different views from former President Fidel Ramos, who recently resigned as special envoy to China and criticized him for his anti-US stance, among other issues. But Duterte said he is still willing to ask for advises from Ramos who is among those who encouraged him to run as President.
“Yes of course, if he still cares to listen. It doesn’t mean that he has resigned as a special envoy I cannot ask him for advises anymore,” Duterte told reporters in Filipino during his visit to the family’s mausoleum inside the Roman Catholic Cemetery here Tuesday night.
Duterte also thanked Ramos for his service to the nation “even at his age.”
Ramos told GMA News that he resigned “because the officials have taken over” after Duterte’s visit to Beijing. “I’ve done my job to break the ice and to help restore the ties of goodwill and friendship,” he added.
Ramos has also criticized the President for insulting other countries and the UN. In his Manila Bulletin column, Ramos said Duterte is “shooting himself in the mouth and also all of us, 101.5 million Filipinos” with the President’s consistent insults against the US, European Union and the United Nations, and his refusal to ratify the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
Duterte then reiterated his anti-US stance.
“Alam ko pro-Western si (FVR), eh military, nag-aral yan eh, ayaw niya makipag-away,” Duterte said referring to Ramos as an alumnus of the United States Military Academy, West Point.
“Ramos is different, I am different,” he said. He said it might be a non-issue for the former President, but he takes the threat of the US to cut the aid seriously.
“Ang ayaw ko sa America ganito, ang tingin nila sa atin, parang patay gutom (What I don’t like about the US is they see us as dead hungry),” he said. (davaotoday.com)
