MANILA: File photo shows Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (right) greeting US Ambassador to the Philippines Philip S Goldberg (left) as US Secretary of State John Kerry looks on during his visit to the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila. - AFP

MANILA: The Philippines' firebrand President Rodrigo Duterte has sparked a fresh diplomatic row with his colorful language, calling the US ambassador "gay" in comments that prompted Washington to summon Manila's envoy to complain.

In the latest of series of tirades, Duterte used a local Tagalog language homophobic slur to express his displeasure with US Ambassador Philip Goldberg in televised comments made Friday. "As you know, I'm fighting with (US Secretary of State John Kerry's) ambassador. His gay ambassador, the son of a whore. He pissed me off," Duterte said.

Duterte, 71, surged to power with a landslide in May following an incendiary campaign in which he gleefully used foul language to disrespect authority figures, from his local political rivals to the pope. He first came into conflict with US envoy Goldberg on the campaign trail, after he said he wanted to rape a "beautiful" Australian missionary who was sexually assaulted and murdered in a 1989 prison riot in Davao, the city he ran for two decades. Goldberg and the Australian Ambassador both strongly criticized these comments. "He meddled during the elections, giving statements here and there. He was not supposed to do that," Duterte said Friday.

The US State Department said that the Filipino charge d'affaires, Patrick Chuasoto, had been summoned Monday to discuss Duterte's comments. "We had that conversation," department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau said. "I think what we were seeking is perhaps a better understanding of why that statement was made," she added. Philippine foreign affairs spokesman Charles Jose confirmed the meeting but said Manila's envoy had been "invited to the State Department to discuss the entire breadth of Philippines-US relations." "Philippine-US relations remain strong," he said yesterday. A former US colony, the Philippines and the United States have long shared a military treaty.

E-gamer halts trading

In another development, a Philippine gaming firm voluntarily halted trading yesterday after President Rodrigo Duterte launched an attack on its chairman as part of a campaign against "oligarchs". PhilWeb Corp's chairman and chief executive Roberto Ongpin resigned last week, a day after newly elected President Duterte threatened to "destroy" him as part of a drive to curb the influence of wealthy residents over the government. "The Exchange approved the Company's request for a voluntary trading suspension of (PhilWeb) shares for a period of ten (10) trading days, effective at 9:00AM today, August 10, 2016, until August 23, 2016," an exchange disclosure said.

The company has already seen its share prices take a pummeling and after Duterte's attack Ongpin said that he is selling off his 54 percent stake in PhilWeb. Duterte launched his verbal assault on Ongpin during a speech at an environmental conference on August 4. "These are the people who take the wealth of our nation but don't spend anything but their saliva and connections," he said. Press reports had said gaming regulator Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) would not renew PhilWeb's contract to provide software for cafés dedicated to casino games after it expired yesterday.- Agencies