"Obviously the Filipino people are some of our closest friends and allies and the Philippines is a treaty ally of ours. Asked after arriving in the Laos capital of Vientiane whether the meeting would go ahead, Duterte replied: "May be." Philippines' President Rodrigo Duterte delivers his pre-departure message before leaving for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Laos at the Davao International Airport in Davao city, Philippines September 5, 2016. Duterte said last month he expected all ASEAN members to support the arbitration court's ruling, but that the Philippines would not raise the issue in Laos. Duterte earlier lambasted the United Nations after it criticized the surge in killings and he turned down a meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Laos.

Source: Thanhnien News September 05, 2016 16:07 UTC