President Rodrigo Duterte has “never touched marijuana in his entire life,” Senator Koko Pimentel said Monday.

In a message to reporters, Pimentel said he talked to the President, who “told me just now that he has never touched marijuana his entire life.”

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Pimentel, an ally of Duterte, issued the statement after the President said in a speech at a formal event in Malacañang that he used marijuana to stay awake amid his hectic schedule during the 33rd Asean Summit in Singapore.

“It’s a killing activity, and I think that at my age—ako hindi masyado, kasi nagmamarijuana ako eh, para magising. Sa iba, hindi na kaya,” Duterte said.

READ: Duterte admits using marijuana to keep him awake

However, a couple of hours later, Mr. Duterte said his “admission” was only “a joke.”

Asked by the media about his supposed confession, Duterte said: “Of course, kayong media (talaga).”

READ: Duterte on ‘admission’ to marijuana use: ‘It was a joke’

Pimentel backed Duterte’s explanation even saying the President only made the joke in “relation to his (Duterte) story that the schedule he was being required to follow was a punishing one from 8:30 a.m. up to midnight.” /kga

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