Philippine president threatens end of defense pact with US

The controversial president of the Philippines is threatening to end a defense pact with the United States after U.S. officials criticized his deadly war on drugs.

“Better think twice now, because I would be asking you to leave the Philippines altogether,” President Rodrigo Duterte said in a speech on Sunday, according to Reuters.

In 2014, the United States and the Philippines signed an agreement known as the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement that allows for a greater U.S. military presence in the Philippines.

The agreement was seen as a strengthening of the U.S.-Philippines military relationship over shared concerns about China’s aggressive actions in the South China Sea.

Philippines activists challenged the agreement in court, but the country’s supreme court upheld it in January.

In his speech, Duterte said he would review the agreement because it was signed by the then-Philippine defense secretary and the U.S. ambassador, and not the country’s president.

He also said he’s complained about the United States to Russia and China. Those two countries supported his complaints, he added.

“I met with [Russian Prime Minister Dmitry] Medvedev, I am revealing it to you now,” Duterte said. “I told him this is the situation: They are giving me a hard time, they are disrespecting me; they are shameless.

“He said: ‘That is really how the Americans are.’ He said: ‘We will help you.’ “

He also said China told him the Philippines would not benefit from siding with the United States, according to Reuters.

Duterte’s speech comes after he compared himself to Adolf Hitler, drawing ire from U.S. officials.

On Friday, Duterte said he’d be “happy to slaughter” 3 million drug addicts in his country, just as Hitler slaughtered millions of Jews.

U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter called the comments “deeply troubling.” 

“As far as the alliance is concerned, it has been in existence and has served the interests of our nations for many years now,” Carter added during a press conference Friday.

“Like all alliances, it depends upon the continuation of a sense of shared interests. So far in U.S.-Philippine history, we have had that.  We would look forward to continuing that. But that’s something that we continue to discuss with the Philippine government.”