MALACAÑANG on Monday, June 4, defended President Rodrigo Duterte after drawing flak for kissing a married Filipino woman in Korea, describing the President's gesture as a mere "playful act" that is "very (much) accepted in the culture of Filipinos."

Duterte earned criticisms when he kissed an overseas Filipino worker (OFW), identified by state-run Philippine News Agency (PNA) as Bea Kim , during his meeting with the Filipino community in Seoul, Korea on Sunday, June 3.