President Rodrigo Duterte turned to God as he encouraged the Filipinos to persevere amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines.
Duterte, in a taped speech, made the call as the number of infections in the country already 67,456, with 22,465 recoveries and 1,831 deaths.
“The important thing here is perseverance. You must persevere during this time,” Duterte said.
“Marunong ang Diyos. Hindi tayo pababayaan, lalo na Pilipino tayo, Kristiyano tayo,” added Duterte.
(God is wise. We will not be forsaken. Especially if we are Filipinos, we are Christians.)
The President said he is also becoming impatient with the easing of community quarantine protocols such as restricted mass gatherings and wearing face masks.
“Gusto ko na buksan ang puerta, if not for science. Aside from voluminous paperwork, inutil na ako, wala na akong magawa [I’m useless, I can’t do anything],” Duterte said.
But Duterte again turned to God and compared the pandemic to the Jesus Christ’s suffering on His way to the cross.
“Magsakripisyo tayo, tutal ang idol natin, hinampas-hampas, pinako pa sa krus. Tayo, simba-simba lang. Dedicate your sacrifices to the Lord, dedicate the suffering for the country,” he said.
(Let us sacrifice, after all, our idol, beaten, even crucified. Let’s just go to church. Dedicate your sacrifices to the Lord, dedicate the suffering for the country.)
Duterte was known to be a critic of the Catholic faith. He said he was abused by a priest when he was a child.
Also read: 10,000 El Shaddai members gather in Parañaque
In 2018, Duterte called God “stupid” and mocked the Bible’s story of creation.
“Who is this stupid God? Estupido talaga itong p***** i** kung ganun. You created some—something perfect and then you think of an event that would tempt and destroy the quality of your work,” he said in a speech in Davao City during the opening of the 2018 National ICT Summit.
“How—how can you rationalize a God? Maniwala ka? Kaya nga sabi ko diyan’ wag ka maniwala niyang…,” Duterte added.
“So tayo ngayon, all of us are born with an original sin. Ang original sin—ah sin—ano man ‘yan? Was it the first kiss? O… What was the sin? Bakit original? Nasa womb ka pa, may kasalanan ka na,” he said.