Roxas, Duterte resume word war

MANILA, Philippines — Presidential aspirants Liberal Party standard-bearer Manuel "Mar" Roxas II and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte resumed their "word war" with the latter calling the former a "zombie."

In an interview with members of the press on Sunday, Duterte recalled how Roxas, who was then the Interior and Local Government Secretary, after the onslaught of Super Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) in 2013.

"I was there day two. Si Mar parang zombie rin. Hindi malaman kung ano ang sasabihin. Nag-drama ka, nagbisikleta ka, natumba ka saka kumain ng kanin sa baso, how stupid can you get?" Duterte said in a televised interview in Davao City.

Roxas, meanwhile, said that Duterte was just trying to gain attention as he is slipping from the latest presidential surveys.

Duterte ranked fourth in the latest Social Weather Stations survey with 20 percent while Roxas placed third with 21 percent.

READ: Binay pulls ahead of Poe in latest SWS presidential survey

"S'yempre naghaharap siya ng paraan para makasama muli sa usapin ng ating mga kababayan... Dati-rati sabi niya na mahusay ako, malinis ako. Ngayon kung anu-ano ang sinasabi tungkol sa'kin. Ano ba talaga ang katotohanan, Digong?" Roxas said in Siquijor.

Verbal blows erupted between the two presidential bets in December last year as Duterte challenged Roxas to a slapping match. Roxas then challenged Duterte to a fist fight, to which the Davao City mayor responded by daring the administration bet to a gun duel.

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