‘Drop the gimmick’, Trillanes tells Duterte on holding CBCP  dialogue

President Rodrigo Duterte should drop the “gimmick” of holding a dialogue with religious leaders, and just apologize sincerely for his tirades against God.

“(D)rop that gimmick of having a dialogue with CBCP because it will not mitigate the offense or assuage the offended emotions of the people,” Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, staunch critic of Duterte, said in a statement on Thursday.

He was referring to a committee formed by Malacañang to hold a dialogue with the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), and other religious groups, after receiving backlash for his “stupid God” remark.

READ: Duterte forms team to dialogue with Catholic Church, other groups

“Duterte created this mess, unprovoked. For that, he needs to publicly apologize with total sincerity,” Trillanes noted.

The senator made the call despite Malacañang’s statement that no apology from the President is forthcoming even after he described God as stupid.

“The God that I know will not demand a public apology,” Presidential Spokersperson Harry Roque said on Wednesday, reacting to Bro. Eddie Villanueva’s suggestion that Mr. Duterte should apologize for what many believed was a blasphemous remark.

READ: Palace: No apology from the President

Earlier, the Palace spokesman also defended Duterte’s rants against God, saying the latter was just expressing his personal beliefs.

Trillanes, however, argued that the issue was not about Duterte’s freedom of expression or his freedom to choose his faith, but of the latter’s “gross disrespect and mockery of the Filipino Christians’ faith.”

READ: Palace defends Duterte’s God rant

“It is wrong on so many levels and in all perspectives. It is simply indefensible,” the senator said.

“Duterte and his propaganda team must not be allowed to spin or twist this issue,” he added.   /kga