Duterte sings for Trump: ‘You are the light’ – video Opinion Why should Trump care about thousands killed, when there are deals to be done? Tina Cuyugan The US and Philippine presidents have huge respect for each other, so it was no surprise to see Duterte’s ‘drug war’ ignored when he hosted the US president Tue 14 Nov 2017 13.46 GMT Share on Facebook

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Unlikely as it may seem, Donald Trump and Rodrigo Duterte may have more in common than any other US and Philippine presidents in history. For one thing, they’re fans of each other. Huge fans.

Long before the initial face-to-face between the Donald and Digong – the nickname by which Duterte is best known – Trump had already complimented him on doing an “unbelievable job on the drug problem”. He was referring to the Philippines’ so-called drug war, which has resulted in several thousand extrajudicial killings linked to the national police and sanctioned by the national government.

“I would love to have you in the Oval Office, any time you want to come,” Trump cooed to his newest best friend. More recently, Duterte, who on more than one occasion has heaped insults on former president Barack Obama, has praised Trump profusely. Mostly for his billions and his choice of wife. But then envy is said to be one of the more sincere forms of flattery.

But the course of true love never does run smooth, does it? Two US congressmen – one a Republican, the other a Democrat – criticised Trump for issuing the invitation, and called out the Philippine president on human rights violations. Duterte gleefully threatened to ban them both from entering the country. “If you do not like me, I do not like you. We’re even,” he said, adding that the US was “lousy” anyway.

But the red carpet was readily rolled out this week for Trump, who was serenaded by Duterte with a romantic Filipino song at a formal dinner.

So what happens when narcissists face their mirror image? They can only fall in love. Alt-reality being the order of the day, their first meeting behind closed doors was followed by a bland announcement from the White House saying that human rights had indeed been brought up. The Philippine government announced, just as blandly, that this had not happened.

Q&A Why is Duterte's war on drugs controversial? The war on drugs waged by Rodrigo Duterte is controversial because of its exceptionally high death toll, concerns that innocent people have been killed and a sense that the president and authorities are acting with impunity. According to the latest government statistics, 3,967 “drug personalities” died in anti-drug operations between July 2016 and 25 October 2017. Another 2,290 people were murdered in drug-related crimes, while thousands of other deaths remain unsolved, according to government data. Duterte won last year’s presidential elections after promising to eradicate illegal drugs with an unprecedented crackdown that would lead to up to 100,000 people being killed. Critics at home and abroad say he is orchestrating a campaign of extrajudicial mass murder, carried out by corrupt police and hired vigilantes. He at times denies inciting police or others to kill, but also consistently generates headlines for his abusive language and incendiary comments defending the drug war. Photograph: Aaron Favila/AP Show Hide

And that’s the end of the matter. Whatever was said – or not – could hardly dent the two principals’ undeniable rapport. They get each other. “Sometimes, two toughies become very close and end up as true friends,” said Philippine foreign secretary Alan Peter Cayetano. After all, both presidents revel in flexing their authoritarian muscle. Both are outsiders who immediately set about wrecking the political establishment. Each addresses himself almost exclusively to a core base of supporters for whom “human rights”, “mainstream news media”, the constitution, and other pesky elements of a functioning democracy are but flies to be brushed off.

Both fancy themselves as dealmakers. According to the legend running in their minds, this is how Trump managed to succeed in New York’s cut-throat property development business, tussling with competitors, investors, unions and shadier sorts. And this is how Duterte, as a small-city mayor in a conflict-ridden region, had reportedly played off different warring parties – communist rebels, Islamist insurgents, and the odd vigilante group – against each other.

Both presidents readily disregard facts and self-contradict at lightning speed. (Their supporters adore them for it.) Both like to see themselves as masters of the ruse and the feint and the devil-may-care move. For example, calling the touchy leader of a totalitarian nuclear state “short and fat”.

Both Trump and Duterte have been really nice lately about Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. Duterte has expressed fulsome thanks to both for their modest funding and arms donations in the government’s battle against Islamic State in the southern city of Marawi. And despite China’s relentless buildup of military infrastructure in an area of the South China Sea that was recognised as belonging to the Philippines in a landmark international ruling, Duterte has steadfastly refused to criticise his big neighbour. So far, his handling of relations with China has gained him the approval of most Filipinos.

All this will come into play on the Asia-Pacific chessboard currently under threat of nuclear war from the “little rocket man” in North Korea. In these circumstances, it should come as no surprise that these “strong men” would sit down to cut some deals – and who cares about human rights anyway?