DAYS after Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle alluded to the supposed abuse of power to intimidate people, President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday, December 18, denied that he was a bully and turned the tables on the Catholic clergy who are using the pulpit to criticize others.
Speaking before village executives in Davao City, Duterte admitted that his administration and the Church "will never come to terms" because of differing views.
He made the remark amid his tough rhetoric against the Catholic Church because of its strong opposition to the government's brutal crackdown on illegal drugs.
"Kani pung obispo si Tagle, dili daw nako hadlukon. Kanus-a ba ko nanghadlok? (They say I shouldn't threaten Bishop Tagle. When have I ever done that?") the President said.
"Unya demonyo daw ko. Mao nay kadaot og gamiton nimong relihiyon para plataporma naa kay atakehong tawo. Because of the separation of church and state, 'di gyud ta magkasinabot. We will never come to terms. Lisod gyud and gobyerno. Ang gobyerno man gud walay Ginoo," he added.
(They also said I'm a devil. Using your religion as a platform to attack a person is wrong. Because of the separation of church and state, we will never reach an understanding. We will never come to terms. The government is difficult to navigate. Government has no God.)
The Catholic Church has been vocal against the Duterte administration's drug war that killed nearly 5,000 individuals linked to the illicit narcotics trade.
The Church leaders' stance on the anti-narcotics crackdown has prompted Duterte to repeatedly lambast them in his often expletive-laden extemporaneous speeches.
On December 5, Duterte said bishops are better off dead because they are "useless" and "stupid."
READ: Duterte: Kill 'useless' bishops
In an indirect reference to Duterte's anti-Catholic slurs, Tagle said in his December 16 homily at Manila Cathedral that those who are in power should not "bully" and "disrespect" others.
"Just because you are in power, you already have the right to trample upon others. In truth, the bully, he who uses power to belittle others, he is the one who is most afraid and insecure," Tagle said. (SunStar Philippines)