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ON 'STUPID GOD' REMARK

Duterte entitled to his own spirituality —Palace


 

President Rodrigo Duterte — criticized over his remark against God last week — is entitled to his own spirituality, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Monday.

"Ayan po ay personal na paninindigan ng Pangulo," Roque said in an interview on Unang Balita, referring to Duterte's speech in Davao City last Friday where he described God as "stupid."

Roque said like every Filipino citizen, Duterte is entitled to his own religious belief.

"Tingin ko ang ating Pangulo ay may personal na ispiritwalidad, pero nasa kanya na 'yan at di na kinakailangan bigyan ng interpretasyon," he said.

Roque noted that Duterte's outburst could be traced to his bad experience with a priest during his childhood.

"Tingin ko ang mga deklarasyon ng Pangulo ay nagmula dun sa hindi magandang karanasan niya nung siya'y bata, na diumano'y siya ay naabuso ng isang pari," Roque said as he urged the Catholic Church to address cases of abuse committed by priests.

"Ito ay isang isyu po na dapat talagang harapin ng Simbahan at siguro po nagkataon lang na isang Presidente po ngayon ang naging biktima pero ito ay talagang di pupuwedeng kalimutan ng Simbahan," Roque said.

"Kinakailangang aminin, humingi ng tawad, so that lahat ng naging biktima gaya ni Presidente Duterte can also move on with their lives," he added.

Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo, meanwhile, said Duterte only questioned the theory of creation in the Bible.

"I don’t think he called God stupid. And so the transcript it says who is this stupid God," Panelo told reporters in Malacañang.

"As we all know there are many theories on the creation of the human species like [that of Charles] Darwin. Effectively the President is questioning the theory as narrated to us by the writers of the Bible, pero hindi niya tinatawag na stupid ang God. In fact he keeps on repeating that he believes in God," he added.

Panelo also said Duterte had the right to express his opinion on matters of religion and politics.

“The Constitution gives us that right to express ourselves on any issue provided we do not violate the law,” he said.

Speaking during the opening of the 2018 National ICT Summit, Duterte said."Who is this stupid God? Estupido talaga itong p***** i** kung ganun. You created some—something perfect and then you think of an event that would tempt and destroy the quality of your work."

The remark caused controversy, with Senator Panfilo Lacson saying on Sunday that he is hoping God will forgive Duterte and "make him atone for all his sins."

Duterte has repeatedly lambasted the Catholic Church, calling it "full of shit," as Church leaders also maintained their strong opposition against some of his policies such as the violent war against illegal drugs. —with Virgil Lopez/KBK, GMA News

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