【2017 Archives】

In the wake of the Filipino president appearing to sever friendly ties with the U.S.017 Archives people in the country are coming to terms with a Spam-less future.

Speaking at a forum in Beijing on Thursday, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte declared a break from America, and went on to embrace China, saying: "I announce my separation from the United States," and told Beijing: "I've realigned myself in your ideological flow."

Hammering in point, he went on to dish out a few more jabs at the American people, saying: "Americans are a little bit loud, sometimes rowdy. they have this volume of their voice...their larynx is not adjusted to civility."

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Following his remarks, Filipinos convinced that there's no turning back from the damage with the U.S. have started to embrace Ma Ling, the Chinese version of Spam luncheon meat.

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A day after Duterte's declaration, Filipino ministers scrambled to mend relations. Trade minister Ramon Lopez assured CNN that the country would continue trade and investment with the U.S., saying: "Let me clarify. The president did not talk about separation.

"We definitely won't stop the trade and investment activities with the West, specifically the U.S."

Duterte's latest remarks follow an incident in September, where he used the Tagalog slur for "your mother is a whore" in reference to U.S. President Barack Obama.

He was telling reporters he would not tolerate the U.S. questioning him on his war on drugs in the country. Thousands of suspected drug pushers and users in the Philippines have been killed, many by the police, in one of the toughest clampdowns on drugs in the country.

Human rights organisations around the world have been urging Duterte to stop the extrajudicial killings, but the death rate has persisted in the past months.

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