MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte yesterday made a light joke of the landslide in Itogon, Benguet as he blamed the incident on the priest assigned in the area.
After learning that the structure that collapsed was a church, Duterte said the incident would not have happened if the priest there was replaced.
“Alam mo sir, sa totoo lang, kung pinalitan ninyo ’yung pari diyan, hindi magbagsak ’yang simbahan na ’yan. Bobo kasi itong mga pari, p**** i** (You know sir, if you replaced the priest there, the church would not have collapsed. These priests are stupid, son of a b****,” the President said.
The province of Benguet was one of the areas severely hit by Typhoon Ompong.
Duterte has repeatedly lambasted priests for their hypocrisy, claiming he was sexually abused by an American priest when he was a student.
He also called the Catholic Church as the “most hypocritical institution” in the country.