President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said Senator Richard Gordon was “just one fart away from disaster,” after the lawmaker had said the appointment of former soldiers to government agencies was “dangerous.”
“My brain stays in my head. Your brain, Dick, is melting and goes to your stomach. You are a fart away from disaster,” Duterte said during his speech.
“You are just a fart away. Your body cannot fit in an ambulance. Place him in your firetrucks,” he said to officials during the 28th year of the Bureau of Fire Protection.
Gordon said on Wednesday that Duterte’s move to appoint former cops and soldiers to government positions was “dangerous.”
“It’s dangerous because civilian authority must remain supreme over the military,” he said in a statement.
Duterte earlier explained that his penchant for choosing former military and police officials to be part of his Cabinet was mainly due to their diligence and their capacity to follow orders.
Duterte, who also serves as the country’s commander in chief, dared Gordon to name a specific instance that the military disobeyed his order.
“I’m challenging him. Give me one specific instance that the military or police group or entity disobeyed a single order from me,” Duterte said.
“It is difficult to look for honest people nowadays. Do not be too presumptuous about your talent. Why criticize me? It’s my prerogative. It’s not prohibited by law,” he added.
Among those appointed by Duterte were former Armed Forces of the Philippines chiefs of staff Eduardo Año, Roy Cimatu; former Philippine Army Chief Rolando Bautista, and former Northern Luzon Command chief Emmanuel Salamat.
Año now leads the Department of the Interior and Local Government while Cimatu heads the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Bautista leads the Department of Social Welfare and Development and Salamat was recently appointed as a board member of the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System.
Other former military and police officers appointed were Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, Information and Communications Technology Secretary Gregorio Honasan, TESDA chief Isidro Lapeña, Bases and Conversion Development Authority chief Glorioso Miranda, HUDCC chairperson Eduardo del Rosario, MMDA chair Danilo Lim, National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez, Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero and PCSO General Manager Royina Garma.
Duterte also told Gordon to do his job instead of interfering to his decisions.
Gordon heads the Senate Blue Ribbon committee tasked to investigate alleged wrongdoings of government officials in aid of legislation.
Duterte also asked if there is a fireman in the audience from Olongapo, Gordon’s bailiwick.
“Is there a fireman there from Olongapo? Punch him,” he said.