PRESIDENTIAL Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr. on Wednesday, June 27, said Catholic Church leaders are to blame for President Rodrigo Duterte's offensive remarks against their religion.
They should not be onion-skinned when the President hurls insults at them because they have been criticizing the President since he assumed office in 2016, Roque said in a radio interview Wednesday.
"Nag-salita po ang Presidente -- totoo po iyan -- laban sa Simbahang Katolika. Pero nitong nakalipas na dalawang taon naman, napakarami ring mga maaanghang na mensahe ng simbahan laban sa ating Presidente," Duterte's mouthpiece said in a radio interview.
(It is true that the President said something against the Catholic Church. But for the past two years, the church has also thrown scathing remarks against the President.)
"Huwag naman balat-sibuyas [ang simbahang Katoliko]. At hindi naman pipwede na simbahang Katoliko lang ang mag-babato ng kritisismo sa ating Presidente, at kapag ang Presidente ay nag-bato ng kritisismo ay parang hindi matanggap," he added.
(Do not be onion-skinned. It is unfair if only the Catholic Church can hurl criticisms against the President, and when the President criticizes them, it seems that they could not accept it.)
The dominant Catholic Church has become the target of the firebrand President's tongue-lashing since its leadership criticized his bloody crackdown on illegal drugs.
There has been no letup in Duterte's tirades against the Church, despite calls for him to stop amid apprehensions that these have encouraged attacks against Catholic priests.
Three Catholic priests have been shot dead in the last six months.
In his recent impromptu speeches, the President stepped up attacks against the Church by mocking the creation story and calling their God stupid.
On Tuesday, the President said he was deliberately being offensive and testing the limits of decency because "this country is in doldrums" and he needed to shake the nation awake.
Malacañang earlier justified Duterte's rants, saying he was molested by a Catholic priest when he was a high school student of Jesuit-run Ateneo de Davao University.
Roque had suggested that the Catholic Church apologize to Duterte and other victims of sexual abuse committed by priests.
Despite Duterte's anti-Catholic remarks, the President formed on Monday, June 25, a three-man committee that would sit down with leaders of various religious groups, especially the Catholic Church, for a dialogue.
The panel is composed of Roque, self-proclaimed civic leader Pastor Saycon, and Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Ernesto Abella.
Roque said the committee expects to have an "open, frank, and candid" dialogue with religious leaders.
"Tignan natin kung saan pwedeng mag-tulungan ang dalawang institusyon. At tignan natin kung paano maresolba 'yung mga hindi pagkakasundo," the Palace official said.
(Let's see how the two institutions [the government and the church] can help each other. And let's see how the misunderstandings will be resolved.)
"Tignan natin kung paano nga tayo pipwedeng magkaroon ng working relationship man lang, kung hindi palagi na lang tayong nag-gigyerahan... Dapat nga, magkasundo na o magkaroon ng mas malapit na relasyon itong dalawang institusyon na ito," he added.
(Let's see how we can have a good working relationship and end the rift... These two institutions should have closer relations.) (VoxPop Philippines)
