Duterte the ‘last person to fool’ Filipinos? Lacson brings up jet ski ‘joke’

Senator Panfilo Lacson/INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Isn’t he the one who called “stupid” those who believed his jet ski campaign promise?

Senator Panfilo Lacson pointed this out when asked about President Rodrigo Duterte’s remark that he would be the “last person” to deceive the Filipino people.

“Di ba sa kanya na mismo [nanggaling] na bakit siya pinaniwalaan ng bumoto sakanya—at tinawag niyang stupido—na siya’y magje-jet ski papunta sa West Philippine Sea island?” Lacson said in a Teleradyo interview Friday.

(Isn’t he the one who called “stupid” those who believed he will ride a jet ski to the West Philippine Sea?)

“Di ba siya na rin nagsabi no’n? [Isn’t he the one who said that?]” he added.

In May, Duterte admitted that his 2016 pledge to ride a jet ski to the Spratly Islands and plant a Philippine flag there was a “pure campaign joke,” calling those who believed him “stupid.”

In a public address aired late Thursday, Duterte remarked that he would be the “last person” to fool the public.

“Ako, Presidente ninyo, you trusted me, you voted for me so I would be the last person, ako yung pinakahuling taong manloko sa inyo. Pag hindi na ako presidente, patayin niyo ako kung ako’y nagkamali o nagsisinungaling,” he added.

(Me, I’m your president, you trusted me, you voted for me so I would be the last person, I will be the last person who will fool you. When I am no longer president, kill me if I committed mistakes or told you lies.)

‘Hindi ako manloloko’

Lacson, who is running for president in 2022, was likewise asked if he can safely say to the public that he will not deceive them should he win.

“Ako, hindi ako manloloko. Kasi naging chief PNP (Philippine National Police) ako, naging senador ako, naging opisyal ako ng Armed Forces, ‘di ako nanloko,” he said.

“Makikita niyo sa track record ko, ‘di ako tumatanggap ng suhol diyan sa mga naglo-lobby diyan. Di ako kumukuha ng pork barrel kaya hindi ako manloloko,” he added.

Lacson was the first to confirm a presidential bid for the elections next year. He will team up with Senate President Vicente Sotto III, who is seeking the vice presidency.

/MUF