MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang is blaming the opposition and critics of President Rodrigo Duterte for politicizing the Chief Executive’s ‘hyperbolic’ statements, which led to death threats hurled at some members of the clergy.

Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo on Tuesday said Duterte’s threat to kill and steal from bishops and priests was just a joke and part of the President’s style.

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“It’s just a joke. It’s just a hyperbole,” Panelo said in a Palace briefing.

Panelo cited the remarks of Duterte on Monday warning the public not to harm the clergymen after Manila Archbishop Luis Antonio G. Cardinal Tagle told him in a text message that Caloocan Bishop Pablo David and other priests have received death threats from someone claiming to be part of the first family.

READ: About-face: Duterte now says ‘Don’t kill bishops, priests’

The Palace official said “the critics are making it bad by viewing it differently.”

“In other words, a joke perceived to be jokes by many and yet, the critics and the opposition would convert it into a serious matter,” he pointed out.

Panelo said the remarks of Duterte against bishops and priests should not be blamed for the death threats received by members of the clergy.

“No. Actually, again, that’s just a hyperbole. It’s a criticism. It’s just a criticism. That is precisely why he warned those who will harm the priests. And he’s serious on that because this President is outraged by any kind of irregularity or violation of any law or any threat made against any person,” he said.

Asked if the President should stop attacking the Church, he said Filipinos “have been used to this President’s style of delivering his responses, his remarks, so I don’t see any problem with that.”

In his speech before village officials on Monday in Pasay City, Duterte said the death threats received by priests came from his critics.

“I agree with him because you know, when he says that that, we know that he is in a hyperbolic mode. Now, if the critics and the opposition use that, certainly, it will encourage other people,” he said.

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Panelo maintained that Duterte should not be blamed for the threats against clergymen.

“Not necessarily because as I said, the people already know his style. His opponents in politics are using this against him,” he said.

The President, he said, “was not threatening anyone.”

“When he makes comments, he creates certain situations to make people laugh or to stress a message. But he doesn’t threaten people. He only threatens criminals. Only the criminals, the corrupt, the evildoers, the scoundrels, the dregs of society, not the priest, not the bishops, not anyone,” he said. / gsg

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