PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte delighted the crowd at the Bacolod public plaza with his signature jokes while delivering his speech at the opening of the 37th MassKara Festival Sunday.
While Duterte was expressing anew his sentiments against the United States, the bells at the nearby San Sebastian Cathedral tolled, prompting him to stop talking.
“Ay, binabagtinga nako nila...is it 6 p.m.? 5:28 p.m. pa naman. Akala ko galit mga pari sa akin,” he quipped, drawing laughs from the officials on stage and the crowd.
At one point, he threw jokes in Hiligaynon, which was cheered by the crowd. He also said that his former wife was Ilonggo, but she left him.
Moreover, Duterte lauded the MassKara Festival, saying it is “one of the more colorful activities in any city in the Philippines.”
He said that he had attended the festival before. “A long time ago, you just don't know, we used to come here and visit the place. It's really colorful.”
He added: "As your mayor said, it gives you an identity different from the others just like in Davao City, we have the Kadayawan (Festival). As much as we would like to do it almost every week, but then there are certain dynamics in Mindanao."
Duterte also invited Bacolodnons to witness the festival in his hometown.
“I'd also like to invite you to witness Kadayawan as well,” the President said, as he assured that Davao remains peaceful despite the bombing incident at its night market a month ago that killed 14 people and injured about 70 others.
“If there is a disaster, the keyword is return to normalcy immediately," the President said.
After the program, Duterte was mobbed by the crowd in front of the stage. The President also signed autographs. (MPE)