Manila: Donald Trump said on Tuesday strong US ties with the Philippines were vital for military reasons, as he ended a trip to Manila in which he ignored allegations of mass murder under Rodrigo Duterte.

The US President said he had repaired relations with the Philippines, which soured last year when the administration of former President Barack Obama criticised Mr Duterte’s drug war.

“The (Philippines’) relationship with the past administration was horrible, to use a nice word. I would say horrible is putting it mildly,” Mr Trump told reporters.

 “And now we have a very, very strong relationship with the Philippines, which is really important: less so for trade, in this case, than for military purposes.”

Mr Duterte vowed during last year’s election campaign that he would wage an unprecedented crackdown to eradicate illegal drugs in society.