MALACAÑANG clarified that President Rodrigo Duterte was not threatening the Catholic bishops when he declared that they were better off dead, but was merely being “dramatic” in his statements.
"I think that's only a hyperbole on the part of the President. We should be getting used to this President. He makes certain statements for dramatic effect. But he actually means, 'Stop criticizing and do some good for this country. Help us,'" Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Thursday.
"Itong mga obispo ninyo, patayin ninyo. Walang silbi 'yang mga g***** 'yan (Your bishops, kill them. Those stupid are useless). All they do is criticize," Duterte said in a speech delivered in Malacañan Palace on Wednesday, December 5.
He said it would be better for bishops to die since they are "useless" and "stupid."
READ: Duterte: Kill 'useless' bishops
Panelo said Duterte has "basis" to criticize the Catholic Church, noting that the President was merely "upset" that the church leaders are critical of his administration's policies.
Duterte's continued attacks also came despite the recent killings of priests in the country.
But Panelo doubts this will encourage more killings of priests: “No, I do not think so. Majority of the Filipinos, I think, have been used to this President."
The President’s latest anti-Catholic slur is a seeming breach to his pledge to Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) president Archbishop Romulo Valles in July to have a "moratorium" on statements about the particular religious group.
On June 25, Duterte created a four-man panel that would hold a dialogue with various religious groups, including the Catholic Church, to ease the tension between the church and his government.
However, the Duterte government seemed to have failed to make any progress toward a reconciliation with the Catholic Church, Panelo admitted.
"I have not heard of what happened to that (committee talking to Catholic Church) also. I've heard about it but it appears after the announcement, there was no move, unless there was a move on the Church's side. But I didn't hear about it," he said.
Pressed what would convince Duterte to stop attacking the Catholic Church, Panelo said, "It's not a matter of convincing. Perhaps, it's in his psyche. It's in his mind. There are certain things that he doesn't approved of and he expresses his thoughts to us, perhaps in a manner that some of us don't want but that's his style." (SunStar Philippines)