Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday expressed regret for referring to President Obama as a "son of a bitch" and said his nation seeks closer ties with the United States.
The de facto apology came one day after Duterte warned Obama not to question him about his country's extrajudicial killings in a war on drugs. More than 2,000 suspected drug users and dealers have died since Duterte took office two months ago.
On Monday, Duterte said Obama must not throw questions at him, or “son of a bitch, I will swear at you in that forum." Duterte made the comments before arriving here that night for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit. The two leaders had planned to meet, but after Duterte's comments the White House said the meeting would not happen.
