Story highlights
Comments come amid tense time in US-Philippine relation
Philippine president referred to Obama as a "son of a bitch" earlier this month
Perfecto Yasay's speech was largely complimentary of US
The Philippines top diplomat has told a forum in Washington that his country “cannot forever be the little brown brothers of America.”
Philippines Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay made the comments after a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington Thursday, during which he described the US relationship with the Philippines as cooperative and symbiotic.
“We will always view the United States as an esteemed and trusted ally with whom we share not just a common history and shared values, but a common destiny as well.”
The “little brown brothers” comment came during a Q+A session.
The phrase is used in the Philippines to refer to people that are trying to act like they’re American. It’s a bit jocular with a slight derogatory insinuation.
Here’s what he said:
“Even before America became a colonial power in the Philippines… the Filipinos had already fully understood the sanctity of human life, the dignity of human life…”
“These have already been well established in the minds of Filipinos and this was precisely at the core of our struggle for independence and our right of self-determination. So it is in this context that I am asking our American friends and our American leaders to look at our aspirations. We cannot forever be the little brown brothers of America.”
A rocky relationship
The comments come at a strained time for US-Philippine relations. The US has expressed concerns about human rights violations following President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody crackdown on the drugs trade.
Philippines' War on Drugs
Last week, President Obama canceled a meeting with Duterte after the Philippine leader unleashed an angry tirade, during which he called him a “son of a bitch.”
“Who does he think he is? I am no American puppet. I am the president of a sovereign country and I am not answerable to anyone except the Filipino people,” Duterte said.
The comment came after Obama suggested he’d raise the issue of human rights with Duterte during the ASEAN summit in Laos.
Duterte later said he regretted the statement, and claimed that it was directed as a journalist, not Obama.
Extrajudicial killings and hit squads
Yasay’s comments come a day after an explosive hearing in the Philippine senate.
One witness testified that he was part of a hit squad run by Duterte when Duterte was mayor of Davao City.
He claimed that Duterte himself gunned down a member of the Department of Justice with a submachine gun. Duterte’s office denied the claims.
CNN’s Andreena Narayan and Kevin Liptak and journalist Charie Villa contributed to this report