Duterte takes on God: Where are you when a baby is raped and killed?

President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday questioned God Himself on why heinous crimes are committed in the Philippines and other parts of the world.

Duterte made the remarks while defending his preference for the reimposition of the death penalty and his willingness to be investigated on account of his human rights record but only under the jurisdiction of the Philippine government.

"Hindi tumalab yung death penalty noon kasi hindi in-impose. One, because of the Catholic church. Second, the bleeding hearts, because only God can kill. Ang problema niyan, I ask you, what if there is no God?" Duterte said in a speech before media professionals in Malacañang.

"So where is now God when a one year old baby, 18-months-old baby is taken from the mother's arms brought under a jeep and raped and killed. So where is God?" he added.

He also brought up the killings of women and children in the bombings in Syria, and the rape and killings of women who do not want to have sex with the members of the extremist group ISIS—incidents that he said the United Nations had yet to look into while having an interest in the drug slays in the Philippines.

"So where is God? My God, where are you? I believe in God but that is my perpetual question to him. Where were you when we needed you? It's not enough to say that at the end of the world, he will judge the living and the dead," Duterte said.

"What would be the purpose of all of that if the heartaches, sorrows and agony have already been inflicted in this world," he added.

Duterte when he was still a presidential candidate hurled expletives at Pope Francis for causing heavy traffic during his visit in Manila in January 2015.

He has also used unsavory words against United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-Moon and US President Barack Obama. —NB, GMA News