PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said his trip to Tacloban City, Leyte a day after Supertyphoon Yolanda leveled the city and wiped out coastal communities was "one of the saddest" in his life.

The President, who was in Tacloban to pay respects to the six police officers killed in a misencounter with Army troopers as well as grace the city's 129th fiesta celebration, deviated from his usual expletive-laden speech and recalled the sorrow he felt in the aftermath of Yolanda (international name Haiyan) in November 2013.

“I do not want to remind you of the sorrow and agony. But I'd like to tell you that the day after, I was here and all that I could --- except of course to give instructions to the doctors and the unloading of the equipment and medicines, it was one of my saddest in my life,” Duterte said during the city’s “Sangyaw Festival” at the the Balyuan Amphitheater on June 29.

Duterte was at the time mayor of Davao City, which was among the local government units that were first to respond to the calamity. More than 6,000 people were killed.

“I never saw such magnitude of... Kaya nagastos ang luha ko dito siguro mga --- mga dalawang panyo. Totoo. (I shed a lot a tears. I got two handkerchiefs wet. It's true.) Literally. I was bleeding inside my heart,” Duterte said.

Duterte, however, remained playful with the audience and the local officials led by Mayor Cristina Romualdez.

Duterte, who was born in Maasin, Southern Leyte, said he was confident that Tacloban “will continue to be a vibrant and thriving local community in your region.”

“More than just a display of your exuberance and dynamism, may the Sangyaw Festival of Lights further highlight the unwavering spirit of the Filipinos and inspire everyone to use the lessons of the past as the source of strength and hope as we make and realize our goals and aspirations of our country,” Duterte said.

He said he was surprised to see that Leyte “almost was back on its feet.”

“And the skyline was more pleasant to see. More buildings and all,” he said.

Duterte said Tacloban's progress "is a testament of the resilience, unity, and hope of the Taclobanons, which have been tried and tested by various challenges faced in the past years.”

Meanwhile, Duterte urged the audience to be more discerning of what his critics say against him.

“Do not believe in the stories na around my persona because ganyan talaga ako. Once in a while, I shake the tree. Para uyogon lang (Just to shake it) na you know, so that society can more or less see the truth of what is really behind our story as a Filipino people,” he said.

Duterte, who assumed office in July 2016, continued to draw flak, particularly over his controversial anti-drug campaign which, according to human rights organizations, has claimed the lives of over 20,000 Filipinos.

The Roman Catholic church leaders and the majority of the conservatives in the country also slammed Duterte, who is a Catholic, over his recent "God is stupid" remark. (SunStar Philippines)