Addressing growing tensions with the United States, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte declared today that he’s very much like to expel all the US troops from his country, saying he hates the idea of foreign military forces operating inside the Philippines.
“I do not want to see any military man of any other nation except the Filipino,” Duterte insisted, saying if he was in power for a long enough time, the US could forget about its bilateral agreement to host troops within the Philippines.
Watch I want them out: Duterte on US troops:
Duterte also showed a newspaper headline reading “Duterte sparking international distress – US,” adding “I did not start this fight,” and insisting that he was not going to allow the US to treat his country “like a dog with a leash.”
Analysts say it is unlikely Duterte would be able to follow through with his desire to see the US out of the country entirely, noting that long-standing US ties to the country’s military mean he would face a major backlash if he tried to do anything that strayed too far from the status quo.