Duterte once wanted to be a priest: ‘Buti na lang, hindi ako nasali’

Tough-talking President Rodrigo Duterte who won't shy away from blurting out expletives even in his speeches said he once wanted to be a priest.

His statement, however, was quickly followed by criticisms of the Catholic hierarchy.

"I asked for permission from my mother. Kasi ‘yung challenge ng trabaho ng pari. I considered one time in my life being a priest," Duterte said in a speech before the Jesus Anointed Church in Davao City.

"Mabuti’t na lang hindi ako nasali, ‘di ngayon naging bakla na ako," he added.

Duterte, who said during the presidential campaign that he was sexually harassed by a priest when he was a high school student, went on to criticize members of the clergy who abuse their influence.

He said a priest once told him to pray after he confessed a sin.

"Kanya libre hipo," Duterte said.

"'Yan ang ayaw ko. Ang Catholic church kasi, it’s too focused or too imbued with this, itong pantakot. If it is a religion, ‘yung catechism starts with archangel, and Satan, and hell..." Duterte said.

"I have nothing against my religion. My faith will… I believe in God. Fully. Pero itong… kasi it’s always the hell. Grade 1 ka pa, hell, hell, hell. So, matakot ka doon," he added. —NB, GMA News