One of the song's verses, translated from Filipino, begins: "You are the light in my world, a half of this heart of mine". "Ladies and gentlemen, I sang uninvited, upon the orders of the commander-in-chief of the United States," Duterte said later, according to the ABS-CBN news channel. The United States and its former colony, the Philippines, have been strategic allies since World War Two. But their relations have been strained by anti-U.S. outbursts from Duterte and his enthusiasm for better ties with Russia and China. More than 3,900 Filipinos have been killed in a war on drugs that Duterte declared when he took office last year.

Source: The Star November 13, 2017 01:41 UTC