Bishop David defends mom after Duterte calls him 'son of a whore'

MANILA, Philippines — Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David on Wednesday night defended his mother after President Rodrigo Duterte peppered a rant about him with a Fiipino swear word that insults mothers.

Duterte in a speech on Tuesday called David, a vocal critic of the admistrations war on drugs and who has often been at the bitter end of the president’s ire, a “son of a whore” for “attacking” him from the pulpit. The same swear word has sometimes been translated as "son of a bitch."

Alam mo kung pari ka, gusto mo akong atakehin—hoy, David makinig kang p***** i** ka—lumabas ka sa pulpit mo. Huwag mong gamitin ang relihiyon. Dito ka, diyan sa simbahan, aatakehin mo ako. ‘Pag resbak ko, tatamaan ito. Dito ka dapat.

(You know, if you are a priest and you want to attack me—hey, David, listen you son of a whore—get out of your pulpit. Don’t use religion. Come here. In the church, you attack me. When I fight back, this will be hit. You should be here.)

Duterte has often laced his speeches with insults and profanities that are sometimes directed at his critics. The president directed the same swear word at Barack Obama, US president at the time, in 2016.

The president apologized to Obama two years later.

READ: Duterte regrets 'son of a bitch' remark on Obama

The Catholic bishop, in a Facebook post, said that he has never “attacked” Duterte. "Unless, of course, he thinks that calling for an end to violence and extrajudicial killing in my diocese is tantamount to attacking him," he said.

READ: Barbs and the Bible: The continuing clashes between Duterte and Bishop David

David also said that his late mother, Bienvenida Sionco David, raised 13 children well even though she was widowed at the age of 58.

“She succeeded in raising one sociologist, one architect/urban planner, two lawyers, one civil engineer, one real estate broker, one banker, one medical technologist, one critical care nurse, one bishop, one nutritionist, one dentist and one economist,” David added.

“Our family does not expect anyone in government to give her a recognition for her immense contribution in nation-building. But we do not expect anyone either, to insult her memory and call her a whore. She does not deserve it,” David added.

"Son of a whore" is a common Filipino swear word but is also considered a grave insult in the Philippines. The president is known for using the swear word liberally, which has led to other politicians also swearing in public and on TV.

Last February, David said that he has been receiving death threats, from persons who identified themselves as "someone claiming to be working for the president’s family,” through text messages

The president has briefly softened his stance against the Catholic Church and said that those going after priests should “lay off” or risk facing him.

In his latest speech on Tuesday, however, the president has once again called on drug addicts to rob David.

Kaya nagganti ako. Sabi ko ‘pag nakita ninyo ‘yung obispo pati ‘yang si David yawyawero, sige lang pasyal, sige hingi, sabi ko ‘pag nakita ninyo ‘yan, kayong mga drug addict diyan wala kayong pera nakita ninyo lakad-lakad diyan, paluin mo ng tubo. [laughter] Kunin mo bulsa maraming pera ‘yan hiningi diyan sa mga mayayaman. Ay akala nila ‘yung mayayaman ‘pag ang pari na nagdasal para sa kanila o nagdikit sila sa pari, langit sila. Ay p***** i**.

(So I will take my revenge. I said, when you see the bishop, even that David blabbermouth, go ahead and roam around, I said if you see them, you drug addicts who don't have money, when you see them walking around, hit them with a pipe. Get money from their pockets. They have a lot because they ask from the rich. The rich think that if the priests pray for them or if they are close to priests, they are going to heaven. Ay, son of a b*tch.