Philippine president says regrets "son of a bitch" remark

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, center, arrives at the National Convention Center for scheduled bilateral meetings with ASEAN leaders on the sidelines of the 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits and other related summits Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016 in Vientiane, Laos. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) (The Associated Press)

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Flags of the 10-member ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) and its dialogue partners are placed around the Patuxay Monument in downtown Vientiane, Laos, Monday, Sept. 5, 2016. Laos is this year's host of the 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits and related summits that include the United States, Canada, Russia, China, Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand and India. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez) (The Associated Press)

Laotian President Bounnhang Vorachit, third from right, and U.S. President Barack Obama, second from left, participate in a bilateral meeting at the Presidential Palace in Vientiane, Laos, Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster) (The Associated Press)

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed regret over his "son of a bitch" remark while referring to President Barack Obama.

In a statement read out Tuesday by his spokesman, Duterte said his "strong comments" to certain questions by a reporter "elicited concern and distress, we also regret it came across as a personal attack on the U.S. president."

Duterte made the remarks Monday before flying to Laos, where he will attend a regional summit. He had been scheduled to meet with Obama separately, but that meeting has now been postponed.

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