President Rodrigo Duterte two years ago has stated that he does not believe that purgatory exists.
“Ang Diyos, all sympathetic. Hindi ‘yan marunong na ilagay ka sa impyerno. Mali ‘yan totoo at hindi rin totoo ang purgatoryo. Langit lang,” said Duterte during a speech at the 58th founding anniversary of Southern Leyte province in Maasin City last 2018.
But the table seems to have turned during Duterte’s leadership that the world experienced Covid-19. With the Philippines still lagging behind its pandemic response, and thousands turning positive with the deadly virus, the country’s leader may have eaten his words.
During his latest televised speech, Duterte admitted his defeat on the effects of the pandemic in the Philippines. According to him, he felt like he was living in “purgatory” as he deals with the Covid crisis.
“It stretches the — a mile long ang — ang journey natin sa paano natin isugpo ang bakuna. That is how hard it is para makakuha lang talaga tayo. Iyon ‘yong ganoon kahirap. Gusto ko na ngang umiyak sa harap ninyo pero naubos na ang luha ko,” said Duterte. “Hay buhay. Kung alam lang ninyo ang — ang… Para akong dumadaan ng purgatoryo ngayon at this time hanggang hindi matulungan ang lahat ng Pilipino.”
But netizens feel that this statement of Duterte is just for drama.
A Twitter personality created a side-by-side comparison to what Duterte has said two years ago and his latest statement. The personality even sarcastically raised questioned if Duterte was still the same person a few years ago.
This you, Dada? https://t.co/Tn0Hlbg2lZ pic.twitter.com/EMyWbKA1NL
— BrujaTortillasDeliciosas (@BrujaDelDemonio) March 31, 2021
Many netizens also sided with the Twitter personality. They too felt that it was like a television drama, where the president is asking for sympathy.
A netizen also irked at the President’s statement, involving the doctrines of the Catholic church in his search for pity.
yan din reax ko, doktrinang katoliko pa talaga ang pinili para magpa-awahttps://t.co/CfVoqfmuNc
— Lakan Kildap (@Lakan_Kildap) March 31, 2021
A netizen did not even believe Duterte. The person even stated that the President should not refrain from causing drama.
https://twitter.com/mirainohanayome/status/1377123739842662404
Some netizens chided that Duterte is confused by the country’s situation. They also took a swipe at how an unbeliever like Duterte would use purgatory as his escape.
https://twitter.com/minaATorreteo/status/1377275486598877191
https://twitter.com/overlord1816/status/1377176793292054539
A netizen was not happy by how Duterte ranted to the public. With his use of purgatory for his expression, the netizen felt that it is his way to strike fear in order to push some ideals.
https://twitter.com/rcrd_dlms/status/1377226236435386368
A netizen was also infuriated by Duterte’s statement. As per the netizen, the recent statement from the President only shows his duality.
Duality of a dog https://t.co/rGlCnyOk74
— r o m y ✊#DefendPressFreedom (@uyyyy_saym) March 31, 2021
Duterte, who used purgatory to insinuate sympathy, a netizen also did not buy it. The netizen felt that the president is very inconsistent in his statements.
https://twitter.com/xangalino/status/1377122172192231433
While Duterte is busy ranting his personal problems to the public, the Philippines is currently failing to deal with this pandemic situation. The country is currently at the top of the list among Asia with the highest number of Covid cases. And just this Maundy Thursday, the Department of Health recorded 8,920 new positive cases.
