Duterte claims CIA out to assassinate him

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte reiterated his accusation that the United States, particularly its Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), is monitoring his mobile phone conversations, insinuating that the agency might plot to kill him.

“‘Yan ang papatay sa akin, ‘yang mga !@#$ na ‘yan eh (They will kill me, those !@#$%^),” he said in a speech before local officials in Cebu City Tuesday night.

Critical of some US policies, Duterte has not ruled out the possibility that the US has been building up intelligence information against other countries including Russia, China, Israel and Indonesia. 

“Nakatutok ‘yan siya lahat sa mga leaders (Their attention is focused on leaders),” he said.

In the same event, Duterte said he is not technology-savvy. He admitted that he only uses his mobile phones to talk with women, claiming that he does not tinker with his phone.

His phone calls go through his special assistant or his security aides, Duterte said.

At one time he tried to use Viber and mistakenly sent the message to all those in his contacts list, causing confusion among people close to him.

The President gave a lengthy speech lasting about three hours, debunking claims by communist party leader Jose Maria Sison that he was comatose and unfit to lead the country.

Duterte brought up his beef with the US anew, after an official of the State Department cautioned the Philippines against buying a submarine and other military hardware from Russia.

Duterte said he would have wanted to buy from the US but they have placed limitations on the use of its equipment.    

“We would have wanted to buy a submarine from the US… Thailand has about eight or six, Indonesia has about 10, Malaysia has about – just acquired six. We have none,” Duterte said in Filipino.

Following the move of some US lawmakers to block the Philippines’ purchase of guns owing to the administration’s bloody drug war, Duterte lamented how the US is again throwing its weight with the Department of National Defense’s plan to purchase submarines from Moscow.

“You just like throwing caution to the wind because it would be detrimental or not good for the relations of America and the Philippines,” he noted.

“Look, I do not have a quarrel with America. But I have a certain dynamic with the State Department and the other officials because America seems to be in the hypocritical stage always. They engage in doublespeak,” Duterte added.

Unlike the US and Canada, Duterte said Russian President Vladimir Putin was accommodating when they met in Moscow last year.

But the Philippine National Police (PNP) has not received any information that the CIA is planning to assassinate Duterte.

“If you’re President, there’s always threat on your life, that’s automatic,” PNP chief Director General Oscar Albayalde said in a television interview over CNN Philippines yesterday.  – With Emmanuel Tupas