MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte was just trying to lighten the mood when he joked about putting a cap on the crater of the restive Taal Volcano, Malacañang said on Monday, after critics chided him for what they described as an insensitive remark.
Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the joke reflected Duterte's style and that the administration cannot control the reactions of critics who are against it.
"If that's what they want to think of, we can't do anything. But the president, of course, was trying to lighten the mood because we already have a pandemic and then there's the Taal Volcano eruption," Roque said at a press briefing.
"So, that’s the president’s style. If you think about it negatively, from the start, that's how you think. Go on, anyway, the term of the president is about to end. If that makes you happy, then let them be," he added.
Last Thursday, Duterte said he would put a cap on Taal Volcano's crater after he was asked to react to the raising of the volcano's alert level status. The president also said the activity of the volcano was not yet a grave concern but the government was ready to distribute aid in case the situation gets worse.
Critics have scored Duterte's remark, saying the president should not crack such a joke while people in areas near the volcano are worrying about their safety. Others claimed that the President's joke reflected the incompetence of the government.
Last November, Duterte drew flak for saying that one of his acquaintances had died because he "lacked women." The president made the remark while presiding over a meeting on the effects of typhoon "Ulysses" in Camarines Sur.
Roque had said the public should not give too much meaning to Duterte's jokes.
"Here in the Philippines, let’s take a joke for what it is—a joke," Roque said at a press briefing last Nov. 26, 2020.
"You know, let’s not give too much meaning to the jokes of the President. The President is just like that and he can no longer change because he's already in his seventies. But there is no malice in his jokes and he stands by his track record especially when he was mayor of Davao City for almost 30 years," he added.
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