Lacson on Duterte apology: It should be his last

Senator Panfilo Lacson. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES

President Rodrigo Duterte’s apology to the Jewish community for mentioning Nazi leader Adolf Hitler while talking about his war on drugs should be his last, Senator Panfilo Lacson said on Monday.

READ: Duterte says sorry to Jews

“Well, dapat lang, dapat lang (it’s appropriate),” Lacson told reporters when sought for comment on Duterte’s apology.

“Alam mo, dapat bawasan na yung pagso-sorry. Mag ingat na lang sya sa sasabihin kasi nakakasawa rin yung makarinig ng sorry parang nawawala na yung value ng pagso-sorry (You know, he should lessen making apologies. He should just be careful in what he says because it’s tiring to apologize over and over again),” he said.

Lacson said there was no point in saying sorry if the President would say something the following day and apologize for it again.

“How many times has he said sorry already? Marami-rami na rin e, so kelangan last na sigurong pag so-sorry yun. Mag ingat na lang sya sa sasabihin (There have been a lot of times so it’s should be his last apology. He should just be careful with what he says),” the senator said.

Duterte found an ally in Senator Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan II, who said  people were just giving too much attention to international audience.

“Sa tingin ko masyado tayong nag o-over react, masyado tayong nagpo focus sa (I think we are just overreacting and focus too much on) international audience,” Honasan said in a separate interview.

“Hintayin natin (Let us wait) how the public statements of the President are translated from the ground,” he said, adding that he agreed with the President’s stand that the Philippines should have an independent foreign policy.

Duterte came under fire after saying over the weekend that he would be happy to slaughter three million drug addicts in the Philippines, noting how Hitler had also murdered millions of Jews. RAM/rga

READ: Duterte ‘happy to slaughter’ drug suspects; cites Hitler