Whose word should be believed – that of President Duterte or his official interpreter Salvador Panelo, sometimes called presidential spokesman? In the course of belittling the Otso Diretso opposition bets, Duterte said:“Just because you are a namesake of a Roxas eh mahusay ka. I can even shoot you for free.”Asked about that threat, presidential spokesman Panelo gave reporters the usual line that Duterte was just joking: “Hindi naman threat ’yun e. It’s…papatawa, pakuwela lang. Too many times, when Duterte is caught publicly saying something gross, indelicate or self-incriminating the usual explanation of Panelo is that the President was just joking. Questions: When is a public statement of the President to be taken seriously or dismissed as just another sick joke?

Source: Philippine Star March 16, 2019 16:00 UTC