Filipino President Apologise For “Son of a whore” Remarks After Obama Cancels Meetings

Mr Obama cancelled what would have been his first meeting with Philippines' newly elected president, a White House spokesman said on Tuesday, after Mr Duterte's tirade.

Filipino president Rodrigo Duterte expressed regret on Tuesday for a tirade against Barack Obama in which he called him a "son of a whore" and which led the US president to cancel a bilateral meeting.

"While the immediate cause was my strong comments to certain press questions that elicited concern and distress we also regret it came across as a personal attack on the US president," a statement released by Mr Duterte said.

Mr Duterte said both sides mutually agreed to postpone the meeting.

Even though the Filipino president's latest comment does not amount to an apology, the expression of regret is a rare instance when the tough-talking former mayor has expressed contrition for his remarks that often slide into profanity.

"We look forward to ironing out differences arising out of national priorities and perceptions, and working in mutually responsible ways for both countries," the statement said.

Mr Duterte – known for his foul-mouthed tirades and a war on crime that has claimed hundreds of lives in just over two months – used the term while answering questions from reporters on Monday, a day before the planned meeting on the sidelines of an annual summit of Southeast Asian leaders in Laos.

"I am a president of a sovereign state and we have long ceased to be a colony. I do not have any master except the Filipino people, nobody but nobody. You must be respectful. Do not just throw questions. Son of a whore I will swear at you in that forum," he said when a reporter asked him how he intends to explain the extrajudicial killings of drug dealers to Mr Obama.

Mr Obama learned about the insult as he emerged from the Group of 20 summit in Hangzhou, China. At a news conference, he said he had told his aides to speak with Philippine officials "to find out is this, in fact, a time where we can have some constructive, productive conversations," signalling clearly that the meeting would not proceed as planned.

"I always want to make sure that if I'm having a meeting, that it's actually productive and we're getting something done," the US president told reporters.