Marawi news too sad, Duterte switches to cartoons

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte admitted that he is saddened by news on the Marawi crisis.

“Kaya ako talaga, do not think ever… do not ever, ever think that I am enjoying the lifetime, my life now. I’m sad and every time. Hindi naman ako nanonood ng TV. Pinapatay ko—or I transfer doon na lang sa cartoon,” Duterte said during his speech on Tuesday.

READ: Duterte apologizes for martial law: I did not have any choice

“It’s not easy to realize your fellowmen suffering and dying for nothing. Walang kasalanan talaga ‘yang mga Maranao diyan naghirap eh. P***** i**, nabwisit ako,” he added.

Duterte also lamented the existence of armed conflicts. He said he has been going to Muslim communities to assert peace amongst them even before he was elected.

READ: Ex-BTC member: Maranaos don't support terrorists

The president also said that the government is not the enemy but the ISIS, which he described as “hard to find.”

Duterte’s speech came after his week-long absence from the public eye.

READ: Palace: Duterte is ‘alive and well’ amid continued absence

Palace: He is not playing video games

Last June 22, presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella was asked about the reason behind Duterte’s absence.

“Style po niya ‘yun, ‘di ba? May kanya-kanya tayong work mode. Unang-una, hind ba, hindi pa tapos talaga ’yung kanyang pahinga. Pero on the other hand, nakita natin na tuloy-tuloy siyang gumawa,” Abella said.

“So iba-ibang workload lang. May ibang tao, you know, they play PlayStation, whatever, but you have—some people are more just… Some people are just busier,” he added.

In his first year in office, Duterte’s predecessor, former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, was also criticized after rumors surfaced that he was allegedly busy playing video games at the height of the Manila hostage crisis in 2010.

Aquino denied the allegation saying it was not his pastime. He also said he never played PlayStation Portable.