Rody won’t attend Trump inauguration

MANILA, Philippines - President Duterte will not attend the inauguration of incoming US president Donald Trump on Jan. 20, Malacañang said yesterday.

Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said “it is not customary for heads of states to attend the US inauguration because it is a domestic event” for the Americans to celebrate.

Andanar told state-run radio station dzRB that the Philippines’ representative to the event would be the country’s ambassador to the US.

In an interview with reporters in Davao City, Andanar later said he and National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon would attend Trump’s inauguration.

Trump shocked pollsters and the US mainstream media when he defeated former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton during the heated presidential race last November.

The real estate tycoon turned politician has been compared to Duterte because both of them are known for their frank and provocative statements that often stir controversy.

Duterte, for instance, has lambasted the US, the European Union and the United Nations for criticizing his brutal crackdown on illegal drugs.

He has also labeled as “stupid” human rights advocates who are critical of his anti-illegal drugs campaign and has badmouthed the Catholic Church for opposing the distribution of contraceptives.

Trump, meanwhile, has labeled some journalists as “dishonest” and has made inflammatory statements against illegal immigrants, Muslims and Mexicans.