A joke is a joke, Malacañang maintained on Saturday after President Rodrigo Duterte seemed to mock Catholics in remarks about All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s Day.
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo came for the President’s defense, stressing Duterte’s remarks should be taken for what they were, a joke.
READ: Rody to Catholics: Don’t get lost, shun stupid drunkards, go for St. Rodrigo
“A joke is a joke and the same does not require an explanation. Nor should it be given as a religious slight,” Panelo said in a statement on Saturday evening.
He said Duterte was only making “light” in a serious situation briefing on the aftermath of Typhoon “Rosita.”
“The fact that they [the audience] burst into laughter, as shown by the video clips of the TV news, showed that they were not offended by what the good bishop and a few critics perceived to be an offensive religious statement against the celebration of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day,” said Panelo.
The Palace official also said actions should be given more weight than words when one ascertains the true attributes of a person.
He argued that Duterte recognized that it is important to “commune with our ancestors” and fulfill “obligations to the dead” as he paid respects to his late parents’ in Davao City.
“The strength and credibility of a religious faith that has been there for more than 2,000 years and survived wars and internecine cannot be affected by what some deem as an assault by non-believers nor will its faithful be offended by any playful jab on its saints,” he said.
“Christianity, or any major religion that preceded it, will always survive the test of time,” he added.
In his speech on Thursday, Duterte questioned the successive celebration of All Souls’ Day and All Saints’ Day.
“Well, these Catholics. Why do they have All Souls’ Day and All Saints’ Day? We don’t even know who those saints are. Who are those? Just drunkards,” he said, telling the audience to have him worshipped as a saint.
“Get hold of a picture of mine. That’s what you put on the altar – Santo Rodrigo,” the President added.
Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines Vice President Bishop Pablo Virgilio David then took to Facebook to encourage the public to pray for the “sick” President following his recent remarks.
“Please remember, Jesus taught us to be merciful when dealing with sick people. I think it should be obvious to people by now that our country is being led by a very sick man. We pray for him. We pray for our country,” the bishop’s Facebook post said.
Senate President Vicente Sotto III acknowledged that some would be offended by Duterte’s remarks and said the President, by virtue of his office, should be more careful about what he jokes about.
In an interview on radio dwIZ, however, Sotto also said it was not his place to advise the President what to do or say, recalling that Duterte’s predecessor, former President Benigno Aquino III disdained unsolicited advice.