A joke is a joke »Manila Bulletin News

By Argyll Cyrus Geducos

Malacañang again defended President Duterte's joke about the Catholic religion, saying that more weight should be given to the actions of the chief executive and not to his words.

The spokesman for the President, Salvador Panelo, made the statement following the generally negative reaction expressed when Duterte joked about All Saints Day the same day after issuing a statement on how Filipinos should emulate saints.

"The remarks of the president, as described in the press articles, were held in jest," said Panelo in his statement on Saturday night.

"PRRD's remarks should not be considered beyond the description of the journalists covering the event. A joke is a joke and the same thing does not require explanation. It should not be considered a religious accusation either, "he added.

The palace official also said that people should focus more on how the president acts rather than how he talks, noting that Duterte had visited his parents' grave the same day after making his joke.

"Actions must carry more weight than words spoken when determining the true attributes of a person, because actions speak louder than words," said Panelo.

"The president visited last Thursday the grave of his parents in Davao City, at the end of the Isabela briefing," he added.

"Immediately before the end of the meeting, the President uttered the following sentence:" We all have obligations towards the dead. It's practically part of the culture, but more than that, it's something very important for us to commune with our ancestors, "he continued.

Panelo also noted that those present at the meeting did not seem to be bothered by the president's words and even laughed at his joke.

"Journalists who covered the event and the public (mostly if not all Catholics) before whom the statements were made knew that the president was only lightly telling a serious situation about the damage caused by Typhoon Rosita and the fact that they bursts of laughter (as shown in the video clips of the newscast) showed that they were not offended by what the good bishop and some critics perceived as a offensive religious statement against the celebration of All Saints 'Day and All Saints' Day, "he said.

Meanwhile, Panelo said that the Catholic faith could not be affected by the words of one man.

"The strength and credibility of a religious faith that has existed for more than two thousand years and survived wars and internal conflicts can not be affected by what some regard as aggression by unbelievers, and his followers will not be offended by a playful attack on his past. " saints, "he said.

"Christianity, or any major religion that preceded it, will always survive the test of time," he added.

Thursday, Duterte asked why Catholics observe the day of All Saints when they do not even know who these saints are. He also called the saints as fools and drunkards.

"All the saints are so happy … Bakit naman … Sabagay itong t ****** talaga itong mga Katolikong p ***. Bakit naman can the All Saints Day tapos (all saints) (why are there any?) Anyway, these Catholics Why are there All Saints' Day and of Toussaint)?

"Hindi nga natin alam kung sino" yang mga santo na yon. Sino "yung mga g *** na" yon? Mga lasenggo (we do not even know who these saints are, who are these idiots, drunkards), "he added.

Duterte also asked to distribute an image of "Santo Rodrigo" to display on his altars so that they do not have to go out.

Duterte's joke about the Catholic holiday goes against the message of his All Saints' Day and his Feast of Souls, where he encourages the Catholic faith to imitate the saints.

"We, the Filipinos, welcome open hearts in November, remembering our saints and dear loved ones, whose lives have inspired us deeply to grow in faith, hope and love," she said. he declared.

"Together, let's imitate our saints, pray for the eternal rest of souls and deepen our commitment to our communities as we work for real and lasting change," he added.

This was not the first time Duterte made a remark against the Catholic faith. His most controversial remark was when he called God "stupid" for attempting his creations.