MANILA, Philippines – New presidential survey leader Mayor Rodrigo Duterte of Davao City “will self-destruct with his foul and vulgar language and his propensity for cursing people,” Rep. Lito Atienza of party-list group Buhay said yesterday.
After this honeymoon period with Duterte, people will realize that they cannot support a candidate who has a penchant for vulgarity and cursing people, including Pope Francis, he said.
He said the tough-talking presidential hopeful from Mindanao really uttered the cuss word (p.... ina) in reference to the Pope, “contrary to his denial.”
“He was caught in a television video saying it, though he later clarified in an attempt at damage control that he was referring to the traffic, which he blamed on the pope,” he added.
Atienza pointed out that Duterte’s propensity for profanity would not change “because that has been his habit.”
“He will not be the Mayor Duterte we know if he changes,” he said.
Apparently to control himself, the mayor has promised to donate P1,000 to the Caritas Davao Foundation each time he cusses.
He has come under fire from Church leaders and the Catholic faithful for cursing Pope Francis.
By Atienza’s account, the controversial statement of Duterte when he was caught in a traffic jam during the papal visit in January was: “Gusto kong tawagan, ‘Pope, p….. ina ka, umuwi ka na, wag ka nang magbisita dito.”
“It was a direct assault on the Catholic faith. We Catholics consider the pope as the representative and continuing presence of Christ on earth. And to speak of him in that manner is a grievous affront to all Catholics,” Atienza said.
Buhay has condemned Duterte’s statement.
Atienza said aside from the Davao mayor’s penchant for profanity, people would eventually realize that “his advocacy of killing suspected criminals is not right and is against our Constitution and the law.”
“It is also against the law of God,” he said.
He said there is a process for suspected criminals that must be followed before they are meted penalties.
He added that Duterte’s frequent statements about sending drug dealers and other offenders to the graveyard would embolden and promote a culture of impunity among rogue law enforcers.
Volunteers supporting Duterte’s presidential bid are swarming to membership seminars being conducted by the the mayor’s Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) being conducted in various parts of the country, a top party official said yesterday.
Ben Ranque, PDP-Laban national training academy head, said seminars in Mindanao are attracting an average of 1,000 participants and local candidates seeking membership to the party.
“Participants included candidates of local posts who want to become a card-bearing member of the party and join the political campaign during the presidential election,” he said.
He said after the two-day seminar that included the federalism party ideology, the participants took their oath as card-bearing party members.
Ranque said the PDP-Laban seminars have been conducted in various parts of Mindanao and the Visayas.
Majority of political leaders in Mindanao have crossed party lines, while some rival gubernatorial and mayoral candidates promised to support Duterte while they fight for their posts at the local level,” he said. – With Perseus Echeminada