Philippine president says God threatened to crash plane if he did not stop cussing
Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte said that God threatened to bring down the plane he was on if he did not stop swearing. Thus, he made a promise that he will no longer use cuss words.
Duterte said that he heard God's voice when he was on the way back to the Philippines from his three-day visit to Japan.
"I was looking at the skies as I was coming over here. And I... everybody was asleep snoring. A voice said that you know 'If you don't stop, I will bring this plane down now.' And I said, who is this? Of course, it's God. Oh, OK. So, I promised God not to express slang, cuss words," he stated upon his arrival at the Davao City International Airport on Thursday.
"You guys hear me right always because a promise to God is a promise to the Filipino people," he continued.
The Philippine president is known for using expletives in speeches that are directed at his critics. He allegedly cursed Pope Francis for the traffic jams caused by his visit to the Philippines.
Duterte asked the crowd not to applaud too much because he might break his promise. He added that there will be times when he might use expletives despite the vow.
"There is always a time, a time to be foul-mouthed. I don't like anybody reading my mind. It's all calibrated, it's always timing," he said.
The president said that his meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other officials regarding security, defense and cooperation were productive.
Duterte reiterated his promise to eliminate corruption in the government. He said that he will be harsh towards with people from the private sector who have corrupt deals with the government.
The president also revealed that he is in possession of a document containing a large list of drug suspects in the government. He said that he did not want to reveal the contents to the public because "it will just make Filipinos cry." The list reportedly includes councilors, policemen and other elected officials.
