WATCH, THE MEIRING MYSTERY | Duterte admits anger at US fueled by 'rescue' of bomber

From InterAksyon (Oct 22): WATCH, THE MEIRING MYSTERY | Duterte admits anger at US fueled by 'rescue' of bomber

President Rodrigo Duterte admitted Friday that his resentment against the United States partly sprang for its never bothering to explain and apologize for spiriting out of the country a shadowy American who figured in a Davao City explosion when he was still mayor, leaving the investigation in a black hole.

Kaya ako galit kay Meiring, kasi binastos nila ako [I am angry about the Meiring case, because they disrespected me]," Duterte said, referring to Michael Meiring, who lost both his legs in an explosion in a Davao hotel room in year 2002.

Flying in from a five-day state visit to Brunei and China, Duterte entertained questions after reporting on his trip's accomplishments. He was asked by a Philippine Star reporter, "Is your attitude toward the US related to the Meiring case?"

Duterte said the mishandling by the US government of the case of Michael Meiring, who went in and out of Davao for five years and used the Evergreen Hotel as his base while doing shadowy missions, "has not really appeased me at all. Binastos tayo ng America."

Meiring, he added, "was carrying explosives in and out of Davao City for several  years. He was hosted at Evergreen Hotel" and "no cleaner was allowed in his room," apparently, it turned out later, because he was involved in some dark mission.

"One day, there was an explosion and he [Meiring] was brought to the hospital, he lost both of his legs." But early the following morning, Duterte added, a chartered plane from US embassy touched down on Davao airport, and a Filipino colonel and some Americans disembarked.

They said they were taking Meiring to Makati Medical Center so he can be better treated.
But in fact, he learned later, "they brought him to Singapore and shanghaied him to the US."

There had been talk through the years that Meiring was a CIA agent or that he had ties to extremists, but Duterte said he as Davao mayor was never given an explanation for why the suspect in a bombing was taken away by an apparent US government team.

"To this day, [it is like a] Batman and "Robin mystery. No explanation.  After 4-5 days, [then] Ambassador Ricciardone spoke with me with just one aide.  I was with Bong Go," now his Cabinet secretary. The US envoy promised him a "full-scale investigation and  committed to serve me a copy."  He never got one, and never heard from them again.

The Meiring case haunted him again during the May 9 election campaign, Duterte said. One night during the campaign, a man approached him, claiming to be from the CIA and they talked about the Meiring case.

The man's exact words, he recalled, were: 'Mayor, can we let this thing pass [Puede ba nating kalimutan na lang ito]?'  I replied, "Forget it."

He bristled at what he considered the hypocrisy of Washington.  "America, if [you] violate their sovereignty, they'll raise hell, go to war" And yet, he pointed out, "they did this to us--[and there's] not even an apology."

HERE'S VIDEO OF THE PRESIDENT TALKING ABOUT THE MEIRING CASE:

[Video report: Duterte talks about Meiring case
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioX1tMaxb8g]

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/133568/watch-the-meiring-mystery--duterte-admits-anger-at-us-fueled-by-rescue-of-bomber