WASHINGTON - The US State Department summoned Philippine embassy Charge d'Affaires Patrick Chuasoto on Monday to seek clarification of what it said were "inappropriate remarks" made by President Duterte against US Ambassador Philip Goldberg. Elizabeth Trudeau, director of the State Department press office, said Chuasoto was called in for an explanation of Duterte's remarks but declined to give further details. Duterte has openly called Goldberg "gay" and "a son of a bitch." Duterte's dislike for Goldberg dates back to the campaign period when the diplomat called him out for making a joke about the rape and murder of an Australian missionary during a 1989 Davao City prison riot. [continues 147 words]
WASHINGTON - Illegal drug trade in the Philippines is a billion-dollar industry and the country is a major producer of crystal methamphetamine, known locally as "shabu," according to the US State Department. In its 2004 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) released Friday, the State Department cited that in 2004, Filipino authorities seized a total of 756 kilos of methamphetamine, valued at more than $27 million. A total of 5,791 kilograms of ephedrine, an essential precursor in the production of methamphetamine, were also confiscated - about the same quantity as in the previous year. [continues 388 words]
