Duterte: God Threatened to Crash My Plane

Philippine president says he was warned to stop cursing
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 28, 2016 7:49 AM CDT
Duterte: God Said I'd Better Stop Cursing or Else
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte speaks to journalists before boarding a ship at a Japan Coast Guard base in Yokohama on Thursday.   (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)

When God calls, it's probably wise to answer—and for Rodrigo Duterte, that means to stop swearing like a sailor. Per the BBC, the Philippines president says he was flying home to Davao from Japan when something happened to make him reconsider his infamous potty mouth. "I heard a voice telling me to stop swearing or the plane will crash in midair, and so I promised to stop," he told reporters at the airport, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reports.

"I will bring this plane down now," he says the voice warned, per the Wall Street Journal, noting that he plans to keep his word, as "a promise to God is a promise to the Filipino people." He noted, however, there may be caveats to this vow when he's talking about the US or the EU, in which his cussing would "depend on timing," the BBC notes. Per the Journal, he joked with the reporters that if they applauded "too much" about his decision, he might change his mind. (If you really mean it, Rodrigo, that means no more calling President Obama a "son of a b----.")

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