President Rodrigo Dutertesaid Monday night that his remarks to ride a jetski to the West Philippine Sea during the 2016 presidential campaign were merely a ” pure campaign joke” and that those who believed it were “stupid”.
Duterte’s critics have been recalling his pronouncements in a presidential debate after he called the 2016 arbitral award as a ‘scrap piece of paper’.
“Panahon ng kampanya ‘yan. ‘Yung biro na yung, we call it bravado. ‘Yung bravado ko was pure campaign joke and kung naniniwala kayo sa kabila, I would say that you are really stupid,” Duterte said.
Duterte said that he will die if he would sail to Pag-Asa island using a jetski.
“I wasn’t taking lightly the sovereignty but just to emphasize talaga hinaluan ko lang ng biro. If you swallow it… Hindi na lang ako magcomment,” Duterte said.
“Alam ba ninyo na ‘di ako marunong maglangoy? Eh kung matumba yang yawa na yan, magkapa-kapa na ako. By that time, I would be the late Rodrigo Duterte. Kung totohanin mo iyon,” he added.
The president, however, mentioned that he did attempt to use a secondhand jetski to the West Philippine Sea but to no avail.
In a speech on Monday night, Duterte also defends his decision to back out from his challenge to debate with retired Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio over the West Philippine Sea issue.
Duterte issued the challenge last week and Carpio agreed to the debate. Days after, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that he was appointed to debate with Carpio instead.
“The problem is here is that I forgot that it’s not Carpio who’s president, but I am. So whatever he asks, my answer will be taken as policy statements, and I might future actions of government when it comes to the West Philippine Sea,” Duterte explained.
“I’m not afraid of you. The problem is I forgot you were not the president,” he added.
