The Philippine Star

Rody: I don’t care if priests die

- By EDITH REGALADO

DAVAO CITY – President Duterte doesn’t care if priests die and he is blamed for their death because of his earlier outburst against them. “P ***** i** wala akong pakialam. Kung mamatay kayo sa kagaguhan ninyo, inyo ‘yan. You started the g ***** b ***** fight. Kayo ‘yung in a solemn sacrament of the mass of the Catholic Church, hiningi ninyo ang kamatayan

ko sa Diyos. (Son of a b **** I don’t care if you die because of your foolishnes­s. You started the fight. In a solemn sacrament of the mass of the Catholic Church, you prayed to God for my death),” he said during the National Peace and Order Council meeting at Arcadia Events Center here last Friday night.

“So stop scaring people about your holiness. Do not scare me about you dying and getting me blamed,” Duterte added.

Catholic priests Albert Alejo, Flavie Villanueva and Robert Reyes at a press conference last Monday claimed they have been receiving threats after criticizin­g several policies of the President, including his war on illegal drugs.

Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, a known critic of Duterte, earlier confirmed he has been receiving death threats since last month.

Duterte pointed out that it was the fault of the priests for getting into verbal tussles with him. “Ngayon mag-ganti ako sa kanila. And they tried to picture me na ‘pag namatay

sila, ‘yung may… I should be blamed because of my outburst. The hell. Wala akong pakialam kung mamatay kayo ngayon lahat. Maluwang pa ang ating cemetery (Now I will get back at them. And they tried to picture me that if they are killed – I should be blamed because of my outburst. The hell. I don’t care if you all die. There’s more than enough room in our cemetery),” the President said.

Duterte said he did not feel guilty about the priests who picked a fight with him first.

“Or if you want to be cremated I could lump you in a… T*** i**, making me feel guilty about my… Kayo ‘yung nag-una (You started it),“he said.

The problem with Catholics, Duterte said, is that they want to impose their will on others.

Duterte added that the Catholic priests are used to having their way. No one dared criticize them, he said.

The President said even politician­s cannot go against the Church because they are afraid of losing during elections.

“Nobody would criticize you even before, not even the slightest irritation,” Duterte told the priests.

Duterte said he doesn’t care anymore because he is not afraid of losing and he is done with elections.

“Dapat nga kayo ang pagbabaril­in eh (You should be shot). And you have raped a child. You have raped a woman yesterday, or maybe acts of lascivious­ness,” he said.

The President also took aim at the Catholic Church itself.

“You better read the history of the Roman Catholic faith. And how they manipulate­d the whole g ****** organizati­on, even a pope having an incest, f ***** his daughter to produce a pope,“Duterte said.

“That’s why I said your God is stupid,” he added. “My God does not listen to stupid priests and bishops.”

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