Duterte unleashed another vulgar tirade on Wednesday, this time going after the EU following its criticism of the rising death toll in his ongoing drug war.

"I say to them, [expletive] you. You're doing it in atonement for your sins," he told officials in the city of Davao. He also stuck up his middle finger for emphasis.

The European Parliament had expressed concern last week over the president's increasingly brutal effort to end the country's drug epidemic, noting the "extraordinarily high numbers killed during police operations." Of the roughly 3,500 people killed so far, about a third have reportedly been suspects shot dead by police.

Earlier this week, Duterte announced he was extending his anti-drug campaign for six more months. "Even if I wanted to, I cannot kill them all because the last report would be this thick," he quipped, referring to a new report containing the names of public officials with connections to the drug trade.

Spat with Obama

The 71-year-old's comments come not long after he insulted US President Barack Obama, referring to him as a "son of a whore" just a day before the two leaders planned to meet in Laos during the summit for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Duterte was responding to a reporter's question about US criticism of the drug war.

"You must be respectful," the Philippine president said, warning Obama not to bring up human rights abuses at the meeting. "Son of a whore, I will curse you in that forum."

Obama canceled the meeting in response, prompting an apology from Manila. "While the immediate cause was my strong comments to certain press questions that elicited concern and distress, we also regret it came across as a personal attack on the US president," Duterte said in a statement.

The insult directed at Obama followed a similar one aimed at US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip Goldberg, whom Duterte referred to as a "gay son of a
whore."

blc/jil (AFP, dpa)