MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday continued his trash talk of Senator Manny Pacquiao, saying the latter should just do his job as a legislator and prove his allegations of corruption in government, or he is “shit.”
During his speech as the inauguration of the Light Rail Transit 2 East Extension Project, Duterte made fresh tirades against Pacquiao, who earlier claimed corruption in some government agencies, primarily the Department of Health.
“I expect him to sit in Congress. Do not go anywhere, finish and find out the corruption that you are talking about. E kung magreport ka lang dalawa, isang buwan, then I would say that you are a shit. A shit is a shit,” Duterte said.
(I expect him to sit in Congress, do not go anywhere, finish and find out the corruption that you are talking about. If you’re only going to report for a month or two, then I would say that you are a shit.)
“Magtrabaho ka. Hiningi mo yan. Nandyan ang mga papel. Start investigating, don’t go elsewhere, comply first with your duty as a senator. Tapusin mo yan, nandyan ang mga papeles, ‘wag kang pa-absent-absent,” he further said.
(Do your job. You asked for it. The papers are there. Start investigating, don’t go elsewhere. Comply first with your duty as a senator. Finish that, the papers are there and don’t be absent.)
The President also ordered government agencies which Pacquiao has alleged as corrupt to “cooperate 100 percent” in any investigation to be mounted by the senator.
Pacquiao earlier named the DOH when he accepted Duterte’s dare to identify corrupt agencies under his administration.
But Malacañang said the DOH already faced the Senate over its pandemic efforts but no cases were filed.
“You know, when you are a champion in boxing it does not mean to say that you are a champion in politics. I am waiting for his word for the next department that he would choose to investigate. Pero imbestigahan niya ito ah, upuan niya ito,” Duterte said.
The President went as far as claiming that Pacquiao backed out from his upcoming boxing match, calling the senator a “goner.”
“You know he has a scheduled fight but suddenly nag back out. Probably he knows that he’s too old for that. And failing in his boxing career, kung matalo siya, he’s a goner actually,” he said.
Pacquiao is preparing to fight against two-belt champion Errol Spence in August.
The senator has denied he was “attacking” Duterte, saying he only wants to work with the President in his crackdown against corruption.