Gordon unfazed by Duterte tirades, maintains ‘great respect’ for military
Credit to Author: BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO| Date: Fri, 02 Aug 2019 02:57:21 +0000
SEN. Richard Gordon on Friday clarified that he has “great respect” for the military as he took no offense to President Rodrigo Duterte’s ranting against him for questioning his decision to appoint retired military men to Cabinet positions.
The senator said that the statements he made on Wednesday were made in good faith and “out of concern for our country and the President, whom I consider a friend.”
Gordon had proposed a three-year ban on the appointment of retired military and police officials to top government positions. “We have known each other since we were both mayors and believe that we have mutual respect.”
“I also have great respect for the military and the armed forces because they are the protector of the people and the State,” Gordon said in a statement.
“However, at the same time, we want to assure the public that we are not militarizing the government,” Gordon said.
The President, in an impromptu speech at the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) founding anniversary, criticized Gordon for questioning his authority to appoint retired military officals to Cabinet posts.
The President said he “took offense” to Gordon’s apparent attempt to meddle in his job. He told Gordon to instead look after his “big stomach.”
Duterte also said Gordon was “a fart away from disaster.”
“I take no offense at the President’s comments. As I have said, everyone is entitled to an opinion, and we cannot be onion-skinned about such things,” Gordon said.
“I am happy that [the] President is concerned about my waistline, but he need not worry about that. My wife has seen to it that I have reduced it significantly of late. But I appreciate that he is concerned about by health as I am about his,” he added.
Gordon said that in the Senate and in his entire career, his record spoke for itself. “I have always supported a strong military, with a credible Air Force, Navy, and Coast Guard.”
“I will continue to do so because I believe that we need to strengthen the military in order to protect our country, especially during these challenging times,” he said.