DAVAO CITY - President Rodrigo Duterte dared the US to explain why it warned the Philippine government from proceeding with its plan to buy a submarine from Russia.

He said, in a speech on Friday night, that he challenged the US government to invite him in any forum where he warned he would also invite “everyone else’.

Duterte said he could not understand why the US would hold back his government from buying one from Russia and surmised the US wanted the Philippines to remain backward. “You want us to remain backwards? Vietnam has seven, Malaysia has two, Indonesia has about eight,” he said.

“We don’t have any but you would not give us one either,” he said. “(Instead) you sold us used Nato (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) helicopters.”

He said three helicopters exploded, the last one happened in Lipa, Batangas. “That helicopter just took off but crashed and exploded,” said Duterte.

“Is that the way to treat an ally and you want us to stay with you for all time?,” he said. DMS