Novaliches Bishop Emeritus Teodoro Bacani on Thursday said that he will give President Rodrigo Duterte P10 million if the latter can reveal his “two wives” to the public.
“Unang-una, saan nakuha ng presidente ‘yun? Alam mo, kung makapag-produce ang presidente ng kahit na isang asawa ko, bibigyan ko siya ng limang milyong piso. Kahit mangutang ako, kung maka-produce siya ng dalawa, makaka-sampung milyon ang presidente natin,” Bishop Bacani said in an interview over church-run Radio Veritas.
(First and foremost, where did the president obtain that information? If the president can produce even just one wife of mine, I will give him five million pesos, even if I have to borrow the money for it. And if he can produce two, he will have ten million.)
Duterte on Tuesday said that he and officials of the Catholic Church have the same sin— that of womanizing. He noted that one bishop— Bishop Teodoro Bacani— had two wives like him.
READ: Duterte: Catholic Church ‘full of shit’
Bacani reminded the President to reflect and not fight the truth by spreading lies and speaking ill of others as he quoted a bible verse, “the truth will set you free.”
“Maghunos-dili naman siya, presidente siya, hindi naman ordinaryong tsismoso, (he should be careful, he’s a president, not just an ordinary gossipmonger.)” Bacani said.
“Kapag ganyan, masyado niyang dini-degrade ang pagka-presidente, bumababa ang tingin ng tao sa presidente na tsismoso, mali pa ang tsismis at hindi pa totoo, (when that happens, he is degrading his leadership, the people will think lowly of a president who is a gossipmonger, with gossip that is not even true.)” he added.
Duterte lodged the accusation when Bacani questioned the increasing cases of death under investigation that has gone up to more than 4,000 in relation to the government’s war on drugs.
Bacani clarified that the Catholic Church is one with the government in the campaign against illegal drugs but what it criticizes is Duterte’s policies on the said campaign.
“Ang simbahan ay pinapahalagahan ang sagradong buhay ng tao sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay ng panibagong pagkakataon sa mga nagkamali at nagkasala na magbagong buhay lalo sa pagtatayo ng mga drug rehab centers,” he said.
(The Church values the sanctity of human life by giving another chance to those who have done wrong and have sinned to start anew, especially in the establishment of drug rehab centers.) CDG/rga