Bishop’s ‘friendly challenge’ to Duterte ‘silly, childish’

Malacañang on Wednesday described as “outright silly and childish but absurd as well” the challenge of Novaliches Bishop Emeritus Teodoro Bacani Jr. for President Rodrigo Duterte to walk in the streets without any security.

“It was evidently made with the sole purpose of getting publicity for the challenger,” Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement.

Friendly challenge

Panelo was reacting to Bacani’s “friendly challenge” to the President, who earlier called on “tambay” or loiterers to kill and rob rich bishops — his latest attack on the Church and its leaders.

In his previous speeches, the President called God “stupid,” described the doctrine of the Holy Trinity as “silly” and claimed that most clergymen were gay.

In a radio interview on Tuesday, Bacani said that if the President was really brave, he would go out in public without his security just as bishops walk about without any bodyguards or bulletproof vests.

In a statement, Panelo said that the President “would have loved to accept the challenge but security protocols are observed for his protection as President — a position carrying awesome responsibilities requiring him to attend to the problems of the nation.”

Panelo added that this was a position Bacani “has never held and might never assume in his lifetime.”

He reminded Bacani that when the President was still Davao City mayor, he “patrolled the city, disguised as a taxi driver, to go after criminals who prowled on citizens at night.”

“He also went around the city alone on his motorcycle to [determine what was happening] around his turf at a time when Davao City was a killing field,”  Panelo said.

Hostage-taking recalled

He also recalled a hostage-taking incident in which Mr. Duterte took the place of a captive.

“No person in this country has ever offered his life in exchange for the freedom of a hostage victim, except this President,” Panelo said.

“We thus ask the good bishop to be more judicious when it comes to oratories against the President, especially when it comes to challenging the latter in his element, so as to avoid being embarrassed,” he added.