The United States (US) stressed that its relationship with the Philippines, notwithstanding occasional unfavorable remarks made by President Duterte, remains very strong and very vital. “Our people-to-people ties remain strong, our security and military ties remain strong. Our economic ties remain strong. And so, while there is this – there is these remarks occasionally being made, at the working level our relationship remains very strong and very vital,” US Department of State deputy spokesman Mark Toner said. In a press briefing in Washington DC, a transcript of which was released by the US Department of State, Toner was asked about President Duterte’s latest remarks where he made a comparison of his bloody war against drugs and the Holocaust. Toner responded by saying that “America’s relationship, or partnership, with the Philippines is long and it’s been based on a mutual foundation of shared values, and that includes our shared belief in [...]
