Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr.

THE country’s chief diplomat on Tuesday urged the media to avoid asking provocative questions just to incite President Rodrigo Duterte to anger. Speaking at a radio interview before leaving the country for Tokyo, Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. on Tuesday blamed members of the press for pushing the President to respond to his critics. “I think the press should also understand that they should not do that. This is the weakness of the President and the President is not a perfect man. But let us not try to provoke him. We know that… he will not take half of these [criticisms] sitting down,” he said.The President’s statements often attract world headlines due to his repetitive curses against international community--like US President Barack Obama, the United Nations and the European Union and critics such as Senator Leila de Lima. Despite his negative image, Yasay insisted that Duterte is a “very respectful” man who deals with other world leaders “that are respectful to him.” “I have seen it in his language that he is very deliberate He’s kind and he’s very very collaborative,” Yasay said. “But don’t provoke him into anger because your reason for provoking him is to go for negative statements from him,” he said. Yasay also urged the press “not to focus on the words that he says and miss out on the core message that he would like to convey them.”Yasay also guaranteed that the President, who is working hard to refine his language, is always courteous to fellow world leaders who give him due respect. Malacañang declined Wednesday to interpret President Duterte’s pronouncement that American businesses worried with his anti-crime war can always “pack up and leave” the Philippines. Communications Assistant Secretary Ana Marie Banaag told radio dzMM that they did not want to rush to interpret Duterte’s lates statement. Before leaving for Japan, Duterte on Tuesday said that the Philippines will recover and survive even if American investors who are worried about his statements “pull out of the country.” “These Americans are really crazy. Their style is to walk here. They think they are somebodies,” Duterte said, responding to criticisms from US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel that his fiery rhetoric and crime war, which has claimed about 3,700 lives in four months, was bad for business. “Russel says my comments are causing worries in business communities. Then you pack up and leave. We will recover, I assure you,” he said. Banaag said the official clarification on Duterte’s statement will probably come from the President himself or from Cabinet officials who directly deal with foreign investors, when their entourage returns from Japan.