The European Union summoned and asked a Philippine envoy to explain the "unacceptable" comments of President Rodrigo Duterte, who had said he would be happy to hang foreign officials who oppose his anti-drug and pro-death penalty campaigns.

Maja Kocijancic, spokesperson of the European Union External Action (EUEA), the international bloc's diplomatic service arm, said they have asked Chargé d'Affaires to Belgium Alan Deniega for a meeting.

"This afternoon, the European External Action Service asked the Chargé d'Affaires of the Philippines, Mr Alan Deniega, to come to the EEAS this afternoon for a meeting with Deputy Secretary General, Jean-Christophe Belliard, as we wanted to receive an explanation for the recent, unacceptable comments of President Duterte," she said in an email.

This comes after Duterte's expletive-laden tirade against the EU in a press conference following his official visits to Malaysia and Thailand.

Citing data from the First and Second World War, Duterte said Western countries killed their own countrymen.

"O sinong nagpatayan? Eh ‘di kayo. Huwag mong sabihin ‘yung konsyensiya noon ng mga lolo ninyo mas magaling kayo ngayon. Tapos pakialaman lahat ng, lahat ng ASEAN," he said.

(Who were killing each other? It's you. Do not say that you are better than the conscience of your ancestors. You are also meddling in the affairs of the ASEAN.)

He also claimed that leaders from Malaysia and Indonesia, two Southeast Asian countries which has death penalty, were being pressured by the EU leaders but do not want to speak out.

"Eh ‘di ako na ang magsabi sa inyo, puro kayo u***. Sino bang gustong pumatay especially your countrymen?," he said.

"I will just happy to hang you...If I have the preference, I’ll hang all of you...You are putting us down. You are exerting pressure in every country na may death penalty," he added.

EU earlier lamented human rights situation in the Philippines, alarmed by the high number of casualties in Duterte's drug war.

The EU also called on the Philippines not to reimpose the death penalty.