President Rodrigo Duterte threatened Saturday to terminate a pact that allows U.S. troops to visit the Philippines, saying "bye-bye America" as he reacted with rage to what he thought was a U.S. decision to scrap a major aid package over human rights concerns.
A U.S. government aid agency, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, said earlier in the week that its board deferred a vote on a renewal of the development assistance package for the Philippines "subject to a further review of concerns around rule of law and civil liberties."
The agency has clearly not voted to scrap or approve the aid package, but Duterte unleashed an expletives-laden tirade upon his arrival in his southern hometown of Davao after back-to-back visits to Cambodia and Singapore.
"I understand that we have been stricken out of the Millennium Challenge. Well, good, I welcome it," Duterte said with apparent sarcasm.
"We can survive without American money," he said.
"But you know, America, you might also be put to notice. Prepare to leave the Philippines, prepare for the eventual repeal or the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement," he said, referring to a 1998 accord that governs American forces visiting the Philippines for joint combat exercises.
Speaking with reporters Friday, Duterte also told U.S. workers or troops to “start packing.”
"You know, tit for tat ... if you can do this, so (can) we. It ain't a one-way traffic," Duterte said, adding tauntingly, "Bye-bye America."
The U.S. Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Philippines was a U.S. colony from 1898 until the 1940s. The island group hosted permanent U.S. military bases until the Philippine government ordered them removed 25 years ago.
As many as 600 U.S. troops are currently stationed in the Philippines, and at least two major training exercises involving American and other forces are held in the country each year.
It's not the first time Duterte raised the specter of removing troops or killing defense pacts with longtime allies in Washington.
In September, Duterte ordered out 100-plus American special forces out of the southern Philippines, where they had been advising local troops battling Muslim extremists.
All four military services have rotated training or small missions into the Philippines this year, according to the Military Times. The Army has supplied Green Berets for training and missions to counter Abu Sayyaff; The Marine Corps has rotating training missions to the Pacific Nation; The Air Force conducts joint training flights with Philippine air counterparts; The Navy has increased port visits to Manila and Subic Bay in part a response to China's aggressive operations in the South China Sea.
In November, Duterte said he wanted U.S. troops out of his country in the next two years.
"I want in the next two years, to be freed from the presence of foreign military troops. I want them out," Duterte told reporters Nov. 1. "And if I have to revise or abrogate agreements, executive agreements, I will."
The 71-year-old Duterte, who describes himself as a left-wing politician, has made similar threats before and after taking office in June, but he and his officials have walked back on many of his public statements, causing confusion.
While calling Americans "sons of b------" and "hypocrites," Duterte praised China as having "the kindest soul of all" for offering what he said was significant financial assistance. "So, what do I need America for?" he asked.
He also said Russia can be a very important ally. "They do not insult people, they do not interfere," he said.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. also criticized the U.S. aid decision, saying it happened after Duterte declared he would chart a foreign policy course independent of Washington.
The Philippines had been slated for another aid package after its previous five-year, $434 million poverty reduction program was successfully completed in May under Duterte's predecessor, Benigno Aquino III.
A U.S. government aid agency, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, said earlier in the week that its board deferred a vote on a renewal of the development assistance package for the Philippines "subject to a further review of concerns around rule of law and civil liberties."
The agency has clearly not voted to scrap or approve the aid package, but Duterte unleashed an expletives-laden tirade upon his arrival in his southern hometown of Davao after back-to-back visits to Cambodia and Singapore.
"I understand that we have been stricken out of the Millennium Challenge. Well, good, I welcome it," Duterte said with apparent sarcasm.
"We can survive without American money," he said.
"But you know, America, you might also be put to notice. Prepare to leave the Philippines, prepare for the eventual repeal or the abrogation of the Visiting Forces Agreement," he said, referring to a 1998 accord that governs American forces visiting the Philippines for joint combat exercises.
Speaking with reporters Friday, Duterte also told U.S. workers or troops to “start packing.”
"You know, tit for tat ... if you can do this, so (can) we. It ain't a one-way traffic," Duterte said, adding tauntingly, "Bye-bye America."
The U.S. Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Philippines was a U.S. colony from 1898 until the 1940s. The island group hosted permanent U.S. military bases until the Philippine government ordered them removed 25 years ago.
As many as 600 U.S. troops are currently stationed in the Philippines, and at least two major training exercises involving American and other forces are held in the country each year.
It's not the first time Duterte raised the specter of removing troops or killing defense pacts with longtime allies in Washington.
In September, Duterte ordered out 100-plus American special forces out of the southern Philippines, where they had been advising local troops battling Muslim extremists.
All four military services have rotated training or small missions into the Philippines this year, according to the Military Times. The Army has supplied Green Berets for training and missions to counter Abu Sayyaff; The Marine Corps has rotating training missions to the Pacific Nation; The Air Force conducts joint training flights with Philippine air counterparts; The Navy has increased port visits to Manila and Subic Bay in part a response to China's aggressive operations in the South China Sea.
In November, Duterte said he wanted U.S. troops out of his country in the next two years.
"I want in the next two years, to be freed from the presence of foreign military troops. I want them out," Duterte told reporters Nov. 1. "And if I have to revise or abrogate agreements, executive agreements, I will."
The 71-year-old Duterte, who describes himself as a left-wing politician, has made similar threats before and after taking office in June, but he and his officials have walked back on many of his public statements, causing confusion.
While calling Americans "sons of b------" and "hypocrites," Duterte praised China as having "the kindest soul of all" for offering what he said was significant financial assistance. "So, what do I need America for?" he asked.
He also said Russia can be a very important ally. "They do not insult people, they do not interfere," he said.
Philippine Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. also criticized the U.S. aid decision, saying it happened after Duterte declared he would chart a foreign policy course independent of Washington.
The Philippines had been slated for another aid package after its previous five-year, $434 million poverty reduction program was successfully completed in May under Duterte's predecessor, Benigno Aquino III.
