Duterte lambasts priests anew
MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte spewed another profanity-laden tirade on priests Thursday, saying that he doesn’t care even if all of them were killed.
Duterte made the remark as more Catholic priests bare
d receiving death threats for criticizing his administration’s brutal drug war.
READ: Archbishop Villegas, 3 priests get death threats
“They tried to picture me na ‘pag namatay sila, ‘yung may — I should be blamed because of my outburst. The hell. Wala akong pakialam kung mamatay kayo ngayon lahat. Maluwang pa ang ating cemetery,” Duterte said during the National Peace and Order Council meeting in Davao City.
(I don’t care if you all die now. There is a lot of room in the cemetery.)
“Or if you want to be cremated I could lump you in a… T*** i**, making me feel guilty about my… Kayo ‘yung nag-una,” he added.
Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas and three other priests earlier revealed receiving death threats and even monitored suspicious men casing their residences.
Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David, also a vocal critic of Duterte’s drug war, earlier said he received death threats.
Duterte had verbally attacked the Catholic Church and in one occasion, even calling its members useless and urging bystanders to kill and rob bishops.
In the same speech, the President also recalled the alleged sexual abuses committed by priests.
He also claimed that a certain priest is linked to the illegal drugs trade.
“Kayo ‘yang nagbabastos may pari pa pumasok ng shabu. But when you criticize me and government, kayo ang malinis,” he added. / gsg
