With election of Donald Trump, Rodrigo Duterte changes mind on scaling back alliance with U.S.

MANILA, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- The controversial president of the Philippines, who cursed U.S. President Barack Obama and announced his country's alliance with the United States was being scaled back, said he changed his mind about the relationship between the two countries after Tuesday's presidential election.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Wednesday he no longer wanted to scale back ties with the United States after the election of President-elect Donald Trump, suggesting their propensity to use vulgarity in public addresses could help ramp-up a better relationship than he has had with Obama.

"We both like to swear," Duterte said of Trump on Wednesday. "One little thing, we curse right away. We're the same."

Duterte made global headlines in September when he called Obama a "son of a bitch" and said he could "go to hell," and then weeks later said he was ending joint military drills with the United States.

Rather than cancel military exercises for the next year with the United States, as he'd announced would happen, Duterte said the election of Trump changed his mind and the exercises will continue as planned.

"I would like to congratulate President Trump," Duterte said. "Now we're here, I don't want to... fight because Trump is already there."

Duterte may already have a leg up on developing a positive relationship with Trump after naming the president-elect's business partner, Jose Antonio, the chairman of Century Properties Group, as an envoy to the United States for trade, investment and economic affairs.

Century Properties is building Trump Tower at Century City, a 57-story apartment building in Manila. Trump leased his name to the building for branding, however is not involved in development of the property.