Malacanang defended President Rodrigo Duterte following the backlash over his birthday party photos on Sunday.
Senator Bong Go initially shared a photo of Duterte blowing a candle from a rice cake to show Duterte’s simplicity, but some videos of the event showed that the table was full of food including a Lechon.
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Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque accused the critics, among them Bayan Muna party-list Representative Ferdinand Gaite, of showing “crab mentality.”
“Tingin ko naman utak talangka lang po ‘yan. Birthday naman po ng Presidente, 76th, ang importante hindi po magarbo ang selebrasyon,” he said.
“Acting poor for your birthday photo ops when you’re not really poor is just mocking those who truly have nothing to put on their tables for their own birthdays,” Gaite said on Twitter.
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Roque said that Duterte never claimed that he was poor. Go also defended Duterte’s birthday celebration.
“Presidente ‘yan. Ayaw n’yo ba pakainin man lang ng pagkain na kinakain naman ng ordinaryong Pilipino kahit saan…kahit man lang sa kaarawan niya? Sa mga bumabatikos kay Pangulo, tingin kayo sa salamin. Mas cute pa ang lechon sa inyo,” Go said. (TDT)
