PRESIDENT Barack Obama did not have a chance in Hangzhou last week to fire a “Putin-inamo!” at his bloody Russian counterpart, but in the sidelines of a G20 summit in 2013, he was allegedly agitated enough to call Vladimir Putin a jackass.

The Obamic name-calling was apparently glossed over without incident. None of the leaders of the world’s rival superpowers raced for the red button. Satirist and comedian Andy Borowitz reported (09/06/2013) in The New Yorker:

“ST. PETERSBURG — Hopes for a positive G20 summit crumbled today as President Obama blurted to Russia’s Vladimir Putin at a joint press appearance, ‘Everyone here thinks you’re a jackass.’

“The press corps appeared stunned by the uncharacteristic outburst from Mr. Obama, who then unleashed a ten-minute tirade at the stone-faced Russian President.

“’Look, I’m not just talking about Snowden and Syria,’ Mr. Obama said. ‘What about Pussy Riot? What about your anti-gay laws? Total jackass moves, my friend.’

“As Mr. Putin narrowed his eyes in frosty silence, Mr. Obama seemed to warm to his topic.

“’If you think I’m the only one who feels this way, you’re kidding yourself,’ Mr. Obama said, jabbing his finger in the direction of the Russian President’s face. ‘Ask Angela Merkel. Ask David Cameron. Ask the Turkish guy. Every last one of them thinks you’re a dick.’

“Shortly after Mr. Obama’s volcanic performance, Mr. Putin released a terse official statement, reading, ‘I should be afraid of this skinny man? I wrestle bears.’”

• Duterte cursed the mike, not Obama

FROM the summit, President Rodrigo Duterte insists every chance he gets that he did not curse Obama, even in his recorded remarks in Davao before he flew to Vientiane for the leaders’ meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Until yesterday he was saying that his crisp putang ina (no English translation available) was not directed at the US President. We checked the video. Sure enough, Digong directed the expletive at the innocent microphone, not Obama.

But the way the colorful cuss was widely reported, especially by the foreign media and yellow stragglers, he seemed to have called Obama a “son of a whore” (their poor translation of the vernacular putang ina).

The President himself has given currency to the qualifiedly vulgar interjection, so we have stopped using asterisks and symbols to dilute the acid of “son of a bitch” (our preferred translation).

Besides, it has become confusing, especially after the Palace firefighters went to work on the tapes. AC Reyes ‏@butterreyes said later on Twitter: “Ang dinig ko po ay Son of a ‘Beep.’” JimiGil Live, a Duterte diehard at dzBB, insisted he heard “Sand on the beach.”

• RockStar Rody captures world stage

SERIOUSLY, even his harshest critics must concede that RockStar Rody, as his chief trumpeter describes him, has captured the imagination of East Asia, if not the world, with his live performance in Vientiane and Jakarta.

Despite his confused, confusing communication cast, Duterte was able:

• To demonstrate that no nation, however modest, need hold back when presenting its valid case in a forum overshadowed by the mightiest powers. He did a similar thing in the last election campaign, articulating what most people wanted to say but could not.

This role as regional spokesman will become more pronounced as the Philippines under an outspoken Duterte chairs ASEAN summits throughout 2017 and leads trailblazing activities.

• To plant the seed of a narcotics-free ASEAN community, with the Philippines serving as a living model for fighting the scourge of illegal drugs against overwhelming odds.

If Duterte can do it in the Philippines, there should be no reason why every one of ASEAN’s 10 member-states cannot do it. Intelligence-sharing and police networking against drug syndicates would be facilitated.

Related to ASEAN-wide action, Duterte and Indonesian President Joko Widodo have joined hands to address terrorism and extremism, piracy in the high seas, maritime security and law enforcement.

• To prod the US to stand as a countervailing force to China’s expansionism in the region, and to pressure Beijing to respect international law and abide by the ruling of the arbitral court at The Hague upholding the submissions of the Philippines that also affect similarly situated neighbors.

China will be increasingly under pressure to show neighborly manners. Duterte, who has been accommodating to Beijing to the point of insulting its treaty ally the US, is likely to demand soon proof of good faith from China.

• Palace media team ‘medyo sabog’

PRESIDENT Duterte has shown a good score despite his media team’s being overwhelmed by the immensity of the communication requirements of his ASEAN engagements, the visit to Indonesia, and his tangling with President Obama.

His handlers unduly hyped the scenario of Duterte’s supposed facing off with Obama and his presumed sitting between the US President and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The two items did not happen, although they generated maximum interest in Duterte, followed by a letdown.

This was the same “pakulo” used when his communication manager spread tips last July that the President’s State of the Nation Address would be heart-wrenching it would make people cry. The audience would have wept with disappointment had not Duterte’s colorful language perked it up.

Then there was days ago his peace adviser butting into the communications turf and belying a revelation by the President himself that former President Fidel Ramos was the source of his list of officials involved in illegal drugs.

Duterte had told a gathering of Filipinos in Vientiane: “President Ramos went to Davao four times — three timespo. Tapos iyong una wala siyang pinakita, basta sabi lang niya, ‘you must run because it’s about time that Mindanao would have its own president.’

“The second time, he was strongly urging me to run. Sabi niya, ‘ikaw lang ang makapigil nito, kung papano. Then he showed me a list ng mga… nandoon na, mga general sa droga, pati iyong pulis ganoon kakapal. Hindi ko pa binitawan iyong iba, kasi bina-validate ko pa.”

Is presidential peace adviser Jesus Dureza saying President Duterte was peddling a lie?