Duterte on absence amid Rolly: Do you want me to stand in white sand?

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday slammed those who criticized him for supposedly going “missing in action” as super Typhoon Rolly pounded the country over the weekend.

“Kaya nga ako umuwi. Itong mga ugok naman sabihin wala ako. I was just waiting for the typhoon to pass then lumipad ako. You know kung wala kayong mga patay, okay lang. Kaming may mga patay, kailangan umuwi doon sa amin,” he said during a briefing with several Cabinet officials.

Duterte visited his parents' graves in Davao City on Oct. 28, ahead of a week-long closure of cemeteries nationwide due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“‘Yong nagsabi na wala ako dito kasi wala nasa probinsya, what’s the problem? Ang mga papeles pinadala ninyo tapos pirmahan ko, padala ko ulit. Eh machine lang naman yan eh,” he added.

“So the fact na wala ako dito sa pagbagyo. Do you want me to stand doon sa white sand ni Roy Cimatu? Just to show that I am here?" Duterte said, referring to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources' controversial "white sand" beach at Manila Bay.

"Kaming lahat wala because may bagyo eh. Eh ngayon, I was waiting for the tail end nong bagyo. Lumipad ako."

#NasaanAngPangulo and #NasaanSiDuterte were among the trending Twitter hashtags on Sunday afternoon as the public asked about the president’s whereabouts during the onslaught of Rolly.

Duterte was absent during the first government briefing on the typhoon that day, with presidential spokesperson Harry Roque saying the chief executive was in Davao City at the time.

Roque, however, said that Duterte was monitoring the typhoon.

Duterte earlier on Monday made an aerial inspection of affected areas in Catanduanes and Albay.  — BM, GMA News