Duterte blasts Church anew
ON THE HEELS of his letter to Pope Francis, President Rodrigo R. Duterte continued on Thursday his attack on the Catholic Church for criticizing his bloody drug war.
Mr. Duterte made his remarks during the oathtaking ceremony of 73 newly promoted officials of the Philippine National Police (PNP) at Malacañang, where he also reaffirmed his vow to protect cops in his war on drugs.
“Kayong mga pari, mga obispo, ang gaganda ng suot ninyo, mga kotse, meron ba kayong isang bahay lang maski limang kwarto para rehab? (Those priests, bishops, all of you have beautiful clothes, cars, but do you have a house with at least five rooms for rehabilitation),” Mr. Duterte said, adding that the church had done nothing despite the “millions” of donations it gets every Sunday.
“Ngayon, gusto niyong matapos ang patayan? All you have to do is to preach kasi karamihan dito, Katoliko. Kung mahusay ka na pari, ipaintindi mo, mamatay ka o umalis ka sa droga. A di nakakatulong pa kayo (Now, you want all the killings to stop? All you have to do is to preach because most people here are Catholics. If you’re a good priest, make them understand that you will die if you do not leave drugs. And then you will be of some use),” he also said.
‘MOLESTED BOYS’
Mr. Duterte said the Catholic Church had no moral ascendancy to “lecture” him and criticize his brutal war on drugs because they “cannot give justice to the small boys that you have molested in the past.”
“You expose me, fine. Ako mag- expose sa inyo (I will be the one to expose you). Bakit yung mali ninyo, okay lang, kami hindi ( Why is your sins are okay, ours not)? Bullshit,” he said.
On Wednesday, Mr. Duterte sent a letter to Pope Francis to thank him for visiting the Philippines in 2015.
“Your Holiness, with profound respect, I have the honor to extend my own and my people’s warmest greetings to Your Holiness,” he wrote in his letter.
In a Facebook post, Peace Process Adviser Jesus G. Dureza quoted Pope Francis as saying: “I will also bless your President.”
Since taking office on June 30 last year, Mr. Duterte’s intense crackdown on narcotics has taken the lives of more than 5,000 alleged drug personalities, including those he acknowledged recently as “collateral damage.”
International criticisms have mounted over the spate of killings under Mr. Duterte’s government.
Meanwhile, Mr. Duterte yesterday met with the country’s governors at Malacañang to get their cooperation in his anti-narcotics campaign, where he was “calmer” compared to his previous meeting with town mayors in the same venue last week, PNP DirectorGeneral Ronald “Bato” M. dela Rosa said in an interview.
“He (Duterte) gave the same message he delivered to mayors, he’s appealing to the governors na tulungan siya sa (to help him in his) war on drugs,” Mr. Dela Rosa said.
“Mas kalmado (He was calmer), more on appeal, not more on threat,” he said of the President’s mood during the meeting.