US State Secretary Rex Tillerson (left) is welcomed by Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte during the former’s courtesy call at Malacañang Palace in Manila on Monday, Aug. 7, 2017. Tillerson is here to attend the 50th Asean Foreign Ministers Meeting and its Dialogue Partners. (Photo by BULLIT MARQUEZ / AP)
Foreign governments have “considerably toned down” their expressions of concern about the human rights situation in the country, President Rodrigo Duterte said on Monday evening.
Duterte said other countries were now more concerned about issues regarding terrorism instead of raising human rights concerns.
The President made the statement after meeting with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Julie Bishop and receiving the credentials of the new ambassadors of Chile, Colombia, India, and Austria.
“Mostly, they have considerably toned down on human rights,” Duterte said. “Nobody… mostly it was terrorism. But no one is asking me about human rights. There’s no more.”
However, the President was tightlipped when asked about the details with his meeting with Tillerson.
“They might want it confidential. We discussed so many things,” he said.
When asked if he was satisfied with the joint statement issued by the foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Duterte nodded slightly and said: “So that there would be no ruckus.”
“There is still North Korea, and then if you add a war, where will we go?” the President said. /atm