Philippines summons US envoy over CIA report on Duterte

Manila  :  The Philippines summoned the US Ambassador in Manila on Friday to discuss a report by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) suggesting Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte was a "threat to democracy".

Ambassador Sung Kim met Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea at the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque was quoted as saying by Efe news.

The summon came days after a report by the CIA and other US intelligence agencies suggested Duterte was a "threat to democracy" in Asia and compared him to autocratic heads of state in the region, including Cambodia's Hun Sen.

The document referred mainly to Duterte's "war on drugs", which led to over 7,000 deaths in the Philippines and also said that the leader could "suspend the Constitution", declare a "revolutionary government", and impose "nationwide martial law".

The Philippines presidential office denied the reports and Medialdea told Kim that the Philippines Embassy in Washington will give US intelligence accurate information about the reality in the Asian country, the spokesperson said.

The Philippines will also try to convince the US that Duterte respects the rule of law, Roque added.

Meanwhile, the US Ambassador explained to Medialdea the nature of the CIA report, which is based on widely available information, according to a statement sent to Efe by the US Embassy.

On Thursday, Duterte accused the CIA of funding a local news website, which is critical of his government, in order to destabilise the government.