IN A NEW anti-Catholic slur, President Rodrigo on Thursday, November 1, branded saints as "fools and drunkards," in time for the observance of All Saints' Day.
Duterte made the new tirades against the saints in a post-disaster command conference held in Isabela on Thursday night.
"Happy All Saints' Day. Bakit naman... Sa bagay, itong tarantado talaga itong mga Katokilong p***. Bakit naman may All Souls' Day tapos may All Saints' Day?" the President said.
(Happy All Saints' Day. Why do we have to... I agree, these Catholics are fools, son of a..., itong tarantado talaga itong mga Katokilong p***. Why do we have All Souls' Day and All Saints' Day?)
"Hindi nga natin alam kung sino 'yang mga santo na 'yun. Sino 'yung mga gago na 'yun? Mga lasenggo. Dito na lang kayo. I'll give you a patron. Get hold of a picture of mine. Iyan ang ilagay niyo sa altar, Santo Rodrigo," he added.
(We don't even know who those saints are. Those are fools and drunkards. Just stay here with me. I'll give you a patron. Get hold of a picture of mine. Put it in the altar and name it Saint Rodrigo.)
Duterte's latest statement was contrary to the message he issued for All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day.
In a message released by MalacaƱang on Thursday, Duterte urged Filipinos to "emulate our saints, pray for the eternal repose of souls and deepen our engagement with our communities as we work for real and lasting change."
Duterte also called on the Catholic faithful to "remember our saints and our dearly departed loved ones, whose lives have deeply inspired us to grow in faith, hope, and love. We are reminded that, even in death, our bonds with them remain."
Prior to his anti-Catholic remarks, the President said in the same post disaster briefing that everyone has "obligations to the dead."
Duterte had previously drawn flak for calling God "stupid" and for taking a jab at the allegedly faulty creation story in the Bible. (SunStar Philippines)