Gordon not offended on Duterte's tirades

Duterte to Gordon: You are a fart away from disaster

Manila, Philippines — Senator Richard Gordon said he’s not offended to President Rodrigo Duterte’s tirade against him as he said everyone is entitled to their opinion.

“I take no offense at the President’s comments. As I have said, everyone is entitled to an opinion, and we cannot be onion-skinned about such things,” Gordon said in a statement released on Friday.

“I will continue to focus on working hard to serve the country and the people. Our goal as public servants is not any higher office, but to remain steadfast in service to ensure that we uplift the lives of our people, and that is what I try to do every day,” he added in a statement.

In the president’s speech during the 28th Founding Anniversary of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Duterte hits Gordon after the senator criticized the president for appointing retired military and police officers in major government posts.

“‘Yung utak mo Dick natutunaw, napupunta diyan sa tiyan mo. You are a fart away from disaster. Intindihin mo muna ‘yung tiyan mo bago ka makialam sa trabaho ko,” Duterte said during

Gordon said on Wednesday that Duterte’s move to appoint former police officers and soldiers to government agencies is “dangerous.”

“It’s a dangerous one because civilian authority must remain supreme over the military. Dapat three years muna bago ka i-appoint… para mawala muna ‘yung ties mo, the ties that bind,” the senator said in a statement.

But Duterte insisted that appointing retired military officers is well within his power as Chief Executive.

“Why do you criticize me? It’s my prerogative. It’s not prohibited in the law,” he said.

Gordon said on Friday that he made his comments “in good faith and out of concern for our country and the President.”

“We have known each other since we were both mayors and believe that we have mutual respect,” Gordon said.
“I also have great respect for the military and the armed forces because they are the protector of the people and the State. However, at the same time, we want to assure the public that we are not militarizing the government,” he added.

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