Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Wednesday said the remarks of President Rodrigo Duterte that he was “an agent of the United States” was merely a joke.

“That was meant to be just a joke-CIA agent daw (that I was a CIA agent),” Lorenzana said in a text message.

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His comment was sought after Duterte on Tuesday night said Lorenza was a US agent.

The President made the remarks during the 120th anniversary of the Department of Justice (DOJ) at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).

“Matagal na ‘yan sa America. Alam ko siya e, agent ‘yan siya, pero okay lang (He’s long been with America. I know him, he’s an agent, but it’s okay with me),” he said.

He even told Lorenza, who was at the stage when the President made the remarks, to relay to the US he was not against the superpower nation.

“Sabi ko kasi magbolahan naman kaming dalawa, e di ito sabihin mo sa kanila, ‘Ako many issues ako diyan sa ano…but I do not hate America. Wala akong dynamics sa mga tao,’” the President said.

(Since we are just flattering each other, I told him to relay this message, “I may have issues, but I do not hate America. I have no dynamics with its people.)

The defense chief explained why Duterte made such remarks.

“He started saying that as early as when we started last year. Not only me but Sonny Dominguez, Jun Yasay and others. That was because I stayed in DC for 14 years from 2002-2016,” he said.

He said he worked as a diplomat at the US Embassy- first, as the Defense attaché and after retirement from the Army as Veterans attaché.

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“We at the cabinet do not take those remarks by the President seriously and neither should you,” he said. /idl

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