TANZANIA – Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte defended his drug crackdown, dismissed criticism from human rights advocates and underscored his country's claims in the South China Sea as the sometimes aggressive critic of the United Nations addressed its annual gathering of world leaders for the first time Tuesday.But with the coronavirus taking a human and economic toll on the Philippines, the often brash Duterte also struck a somewhat conciliatory tone about the organization he has often criticized and at times threatened to leave. “The Philippines values the role that the United Nations plays in its fight against the pandemic,” Duterte said in a prerecorded video, the meeting's format this year because of the pandemic.He welcomed the.