Gordon tells Duterte: In spirit of Christmas, I’ll pray for you

FILE PHOTO: Senator Richard Gordon and President Rodrigo Duterte. INQUIRER FILE PHOTOS

MANILA, Philippines — Senator Richard Gordon, in the spirit of Christmas, would just pray for President Rodrigo Duterte who the lawmaker said recently cursed at his mother during a public address.

In a Senate hearing Tuesday, Gordon also lamented at how the Philippines had a “role model” President who made it his “bad habit” to curse in public.

“In the spirit of Christmas, pagdadasal ko na lang po ang ating Pangulo. Minura niya po ang aking nanay noong isang gabi, at ang ginamit niyang salita, pasensya na po kayo, ‘P*tangina mo!’, sabi niyang ganoon sa akin,” the legislator said.

(In the spirit of Christmas, I will just pray for our President. He cursed at my mother the other night. He said, and I apologize for my language, ‘F**k you!’, he said to me.)

“Alam niyo ‘di ginagawang salita ng pangulo ‘yan (You know, a President should not use such words),” he added.

Gordon said Duterte may be carrying a lot of problems that he just releases his frustrations in his public speeches.

“Nakakaawa naman ang ating bayan na nagkaroon tayo ng role model ng pangulo sa masamang bisyo na nagmumura sa publiko sa kanyang official report sa tao,” Gordon said.

(I pity our country because we had a role model who has a bad habit of cursing during his official reports to the people.)

“Mr. President, hindi ko po kayo nakasama, magkaibigan lang tayo pero sasabihin ko lang sa inyo, I pray for you… because that’s the only thing I can do,” he added.

(Mr. President, we are just friends but I will tell you this, I pray for you … because that’s the only thing I can do.)

Gordon and Duterte have been engaged in a word war as the lawmaker, who chairs the Senate blue ribbon committee, investigates the alleged anomalous deals of government in its procurement of medical supplies amid the coronavirus pandemic.

KGA