Duterte just being ‘playful,’ not serious on ‘EJK his only sin’ statement
President Rodrigo Duterte was “not serious” when he admitted on Thursday that his only sin was extrajudicial killings, Malacañang said on Friday.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the public should not take the President’s words literally.
“Well, alam mo naman si Presidente, ano. Hindi na naman iyan seryoso. Sinasabi lang niya iyan, kasi nga palaging sinasabi iyan ang ginagawa niya ano. Pero it’s also na dinidiin lang niya na talagang hindi siya nagnanakaw, pero I don’t think na ang konteksto niyan ay literal,” Roque said in an interview over dzRH.
In a speech before government executives in Malacañang, Duterte again slammed his critics and made a rare admission that his only sin was the extrajudicial killings in the Philippines, an issue that has stemmed from his brutal war on drugs that has killed thousands of Filipinos.
RELATED: Over 400 killed in a month in drug war–gov’t
“Ako I will talk to a political exercise now. What are your sins? Ako? Sabi ko nga sa military, ano kasalanan ko? Nagnakaw ba ako diyan ni piso? Did I prosecute somebody na pinakulong ko? Ang kasalanan ko lang, yung mga extrajudicial killing,” Duterte said.
READ: Duterte: My only sin is the extrajudicial killings
Roque clarified the Chief Executive’s statement, saying the President was only stressing that he is not corrupt.
“Iyon nga po, hindi po siya seryoso diyan. Tingin ko po, iyan ay hina-highlight niya na never, never siyang nagnakaw. Pinupulaan siya ng EJK pero hindi po siya napupulaan na magnanakaw siya,” he said.
Roque added that the President’s words were not self-incriminating.
“In the first place, hindi naman iyan isang sinumpaang salaysay ‘no, so paano sasabihing self-incriminating iyan. Hindi po,” he said. “That’s the President po being himself, being playful, being… highlighting the point na hindi siya corrupt.”
In a separate radio interview, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo also clarified Duterte’s remarks. “Ang sinabi kasi ni Presidente, “Ang kasalanan ko lang ay ang extrajudicial killings.” Ang ibig niyang sabihin, ‘ang isyu lang laban sa akin ay extrajudicial killings,’ iyon ang ibig sabihin nun. Alam mo, Bisaya si Presidente,” Panelo said in a dwFM radio interview. /muf
