Iwas-pusoy si Pangulong Rodrigo Duterte nang tanungin siya kung sino ang mas napupusuan niya sa dalawang presidential candidates ng United States (US)---si Democrat Hillary Clinton o Republican Donald Trump.
Sa halip na pumili sa dalawa, sinabi ni Duterte na “my favorite hero is Putin.” Tinutukoy ng Pangulo si Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Ang pag-iwas ng Pangulo na pumili kina Clinton at Trump na hango sa tanong ng journalist mula sa CNN ay ginawa sa isang press conference sa Davao City, pagdating ng una mula sa kanyang pagbisita sa Brunei at China.
“You know my friend, I would like to answer your question candidly, honestly and truthfully. Problem is, of course personally, it would not really matter much. But I am a President of a country and we have this splendid relations with America and the fact that there are already millions of Filipinos, maybe, in your country ...I cannot gamble an answer,” sagot ng Pangulo sa mamamahayag ng CNN. “Because either way, it would affect ...they might create a hostility here, antagonism here.”
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“So I am better off in saying that my favorite hero is Putin,” dagdag pa ng Pangulo.
Magugunita na nais ng Pangulo na patatagin ang ugnayan ng Pilipinas sa China at Russia.
Habang nasa Beijing, inihayag ng Pangulo ang pakikipaghiwalay ng Pilipinas sa US, ngunit agad na nilinaw na hindi naman niya pinuputol ang diplomatic ties ng PH at US.
Nang hingian ng reaksyon hinggil sa pagkukumpara sa kanya kay Trump, sinabi ni Duterte na “Trump is airing something which should also be a concern. One is terrorism. Everybody should be worried about terrorism. And of course, in this modern world, multi-cultural countries. There should be some, some semblance of ...acceptance and especially in the matter of religion, tolerance. Those are vogue words but they have deeper meanings if you go into.” (Elena L. Aben)
