Bishop Bacani hits back at Duterte: ‘Parang sira, I pray for him’

Novaliches Bishop Emeritus Teodoro Bacani Jr. on Wednesday hit back at President Rodrigo Duterte’s remark accusing the Catholic prelate of having two wives.

“If he [said] that, I pity him. Parang sira. I pray for him,” Bacani said in a text message. 

He also said that, “If Duterte were not immune from suit, I would sue him for defamation and libel.”

During a dialogue with relatives of the 44 police commandos who died at the Mamasapano clash in 2015, Duterte once again lashed out at leaders of the Catholic Church in the Philippines, calling them "full of shit."

Duterte has been hitting the Church's leadership for criticizing his administration's war on drugs.

One of those he criticized and named in his speech last Tuesday was Bacani.

"Ang opening remarks si Bacani. P— inang Bacani na iyan, dalawa pala ang asawa. Pareho ko. Parang mayor din ang buang. Tapos kung magsalita itong mga unggoy na ito, 't— ina," said Duterte.

Commenting on Duterte's accusation, Bacani said: “I do not have even one wife. I hope anyone who says I have two will produce even one. Poor guys who can only use lies versus truth.” 

Earlier, in his speech at the World Apostolic Congress on Mercy, Bacani criticized the rising death toll in the Duterte administration's war on drugs, calling the Philippine National Police a "bringer of death." —Erwin Colcol/LBG, GMA News