President Barack Obama personally congratulated presumptive President Rodrigo Duterte

Duterte Sponsors

US President Barack Obama on Tuesday congratulated Philippines president-elect Rodrigo Duterte on his landslide victory at the polls, hailing the country’s “vibrant democracy” — and emphasizing the importance of protecting human rights.

 image source:globalnation.inquirer.net

He has also pledged a ruthless law-and-order crackdown that would feature the restoration of the death penalty in the largely Roman Catholic country, and ordering military snipers to kill suspected criminals.

Read: Longest Bridge in Philippines to Build under Duterte's Government

He has said it is up to American officials to fix relations with him, after the US ambassador to Manila criticized his joke that he would have wanted to rape an Australian missionary who was killed in a 1989 Philippine prison riot.

Source: inquirer .net