PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte lashed out at Senator Grace Poe for telling him to be watchful of his language following his expletive-laden statement against former President Benigno Aquino III.
In a speech delivered during his visit to war-torn Marawi City on Friday, Duterte told Poe not to meddle in the issue between him and Aquino because she does not understand his position when he took a jab at the erstwhile president.
“Grace [Poe] said, ‘Watch your mouth.’ You take care of your mouth, and I will take care of mine because my mouth is not for your mouth. Stay silent there because you don’t understand from where I stand,” the President said.
On Thursday, Poe's reaction was sought on Duterte's cursing but did not categorically say that he should "watch his language."
Poe said she merely wanted to remind the President as she was confident that “he knows what is right and wrong.”
“That has been his style. But of of course, as a public figure being heard by children, you might be emulated. Do we agree with that?” she said.
The senator’s statement came after Duterte branded Aquino as “stupid” for claiming that he sees no progress on the current administration’s war on illegal drugs.
Duterte was infuriated when Aquino said “nothing happened” on intensified campaign against drugs he campaigned.
Speaking before the troops fighting extremist groups in Marawi City, the President admitted that he was insulted by Aquino’s remark, stressing that the former president had become “careless” on criticizing his drug war.
He said that Aquino should have not derogated the fight against illegal drugs, which he noted was the reason why the May 23 armed conflict in Marawi City emerged.
“Marawi [crisis] erupted because of the drug operation. Now, when you say, ‘nothing happened,’ that’s an insult. I am very sensitive with this kind of issue because many of my policemen and soldiers already died. So if you are careless to say ‘nothing happened,’ I’d really get foul-mouthed. So do not just make a plain statement because you don’t know the real score,” Duterte said.
“I got insulted because many of my troops died but many of the enemies also died, but at the cost of the lives of my soldiers and police. That’s why my retort was, ‘You (Aquino) are so stupid,’” he added.
As of August 3, around 119 security troops have been killed in the continuing battle against Islamist terrorists.
Duterte said he could have accepted Aquino’s opinion, had he said it in a nice way.
“He’s an ex-president. He can just say, ‘Well the battle is a continuing one. It would never stop but we have to continue to be vigilant.’ He should have said it that way. That’s it. We’re both president. I am very sensitive with that kind of issue involving my soldiers and policemen,” he said. (VoxPop Philippines)
