Palma: It’s up to people to decide on Duterte
CEBU Archbishop Jose Palma said it’s up to the people to decide if they want to vote for Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte after he was reported to have cursed Pope Francis in jest.
“To me, anybody who speaks expletives against the person of the Holy Father should think twice because if we look at it, the pope is not an ordinary person,” he told reporters who asked him to comment on the issue.
Regardless of public stature, Palma said every human being deserves respect.
“Does the pope deserve respect? I think you yourselves can answer the question. Everyone of us deserves respect,” he said.
Duterte was shown in national TV cussing Pope Francis after he was trapped in heavy traffic when he was in Manila during the Holy Father’s visit last January.
Asked about Duterte’s act of flaunting his being a womanizer and having other vices, Palma said “you can judge for yourself.”
“Some people may see it as a sign of humility but others may consider it improper. I throw the ball to the electorate to decide if this is the kind of leader we want. I trust the electorate,” he said.
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) denounced Duterte’s remarks against Pope Francis.
In a report published on its website, CBCP President and Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Socrates Villegas said “vulgarity is corruption” and people who found the joke funny become “beastly and barbaric.”
In yesterday’s 888 News Forum, One Cebu vice gubernatorial candidate Nerissa Soon-Ruiz and Rep. Benhur Salimbangon of Cebu’s 4th district said they support Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte because he is a Cebuano.
“We need someone who can look out for Cebu with a heart,” Salimbangon said.
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