Duterte on jetski promise: Just a campaign joke

It was a campaign joke.

Thus, said President Rodrigo Duterte to explain the remarks he made in 2016 about riding a jetski to the West Philippine Sea and telling the Chinese that it belonged to the Philippines.  

Duterte's critics have been recalling his pronouncements in a presidential debate after he called the 2016 arbitral award which favored the Philippines' exclusive economic zone over China's historical claims "a scrap of paper."

"Panahon ng kampanya 'yan. 'Yung biro na yung, we call it bravado. 'Yung bravado ko was pure campaign joke and kung naniniwala kayo sa kabila, I would say that you are really stupid," Duterte said.

[It was the campaign period. It was a joke, we call it bravado. My bravado was pure campaign joke and if you in the other side believed it, I would say that you were really stupid.]

He also emphasized that he will die if he sail to Pag-asa Island, which is around 150 nautical miles from Palawan, using only a jet ski.

"I wasn't taking lightly the sovereignty but just to emphasize talaga hinaluan ko lang ng biro. If you swallow it… Hindi na lang ako magcomment," Duterte said.

[I wasn't taking lightly the sovereignty but just to emphasize I really threw it in as a joke.  If you swallowed it… I'd rather not comment.]

"Alam ba ninyo na 'di ako marunong maglangoy? Eh kung matumba yang yawa na yan, magkapa-kapa na ako. By that time, I would be the late Rodrigo Duterte. Kung totohanin mo iyon," he added.

[Don't you know that I didn't know how to swim? If that thing turns on its side, I'd be flapping my arms. By that time, I would be the late Rodrigo Duterte. If you took that seriously.]

At one point, the President said he bought spare parts to improve the condition of his "second hand" jet ski as he mulled going to the disputed waters.

The parts, he said, weren't delivered.

In addition, Duterte said he feared for his life before pursuing his 2016 jet ski campaign promise.

Former Chief Justice Antonio Carpio, earlier, asked Duterte to retract his statement about calling the arbitral ruling as a piece of paper meant to be thrown in a trash can.

Carpio said Duterte's pronouncements as head of state could be dangerous to the country's interests in the territorial waters.

He also lamented Duterte's claim that China was in possession of West Philippine Sea, which is the Philippines' territorial claims at the South China Sea. —NB, GMA News