Former President Rodrigo Duterte said Sunday that the bilateral relations between the United States under President Joe Biden and the Philippines under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. have placed the latter in danger.

Duterte specifically mentioned the installation of a missile system in Ilocos Norte as a potential magnet for attack amid the worsening relations between China and the Philippines.

“American policies under the Biden administration towards the Philippines, particularly the installation of a missile system in Ilocos Norte, have placed the Philippines in considerable danger,” Duterte said.

“It has generated no small amount of fear among Filipinos wary that the country has now become a target if war breaks out anytime,” added the former president, whose administration was closer to Beijing than to Washington.

As president, Duterte was lumped with Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin as “strongmen” on a Time magazine cover in 2018.

Duterte condemned the attack on Trump, who was shot while speaking at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Sunday (Manila time).

“I join all peace-loving people of the world in condemning in the strongest possible terms the attack on former President Donald Trump,” Duterte said.

“The shooting of former President Trump as he was speaking at a rally is a chilling indictment of our times. It is a wake-up call that no one, not even a former president and leading presidential candidate, is safe even in the most powerful nation on earth,” he added.

The assailant, identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, was neutralized before he could inflict further damage.

Duterte said the incident comes at a crucial time, with the election for the next President of the United States barely four months away.

He emphasized the global implications of the US election, highlighting the potential impact on the Philippines.

He said that the outcome of the US elections carries far-reaching repercussions for many countries, including the Philippines, considering America’s role in world affairs.