President Rodrigo Duterte, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio and Senator Panfilo Lacson. Composite

MANILA – Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio's call for the public not to listen to her father President Rodrigo Duterte whenever he talks about religious texts is "good" but may not apply to the Chief Executive, Senator Panfilo Lacson said Thursday. 

The mayor had made the statement in an Instagram post on Wednesday as Duterte came under fire for calling God "stupid." 

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Lacson, however, said the public always listens to the President. 

"It is good advice but may not be applicable because her father is the President of the Republic," Lacson said in a statement. 

"When he talks, Filipinos listen for different reasons. Some are waiting for his mistakes so they can have a field day criticizing him; others want to be informed, so they will learn and be guided by his policy statements; the rest may simply want to be entertained, and make their day. In any case, we all listen," he said.

Duterte, born and raised Catholic, has many times criticized the influential Church, the religion of some 80 percent of Filipinos. The President once called the Catholic Church the "most hypocritical institution," while Church leaders have denounced killings under his anti-narcotics drive. 

In an apparent bid to mend ties with the institution, Duterte has formed a 4-man committee to touch base with leaders of the Catholic Church and other Christian sects. 

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The government panel hopes to meet with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) next week, said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque. 

Malacañang has, however, rejected a call for Duterte to issue a public apology for his statement. 

Palace says no public apology from Duterte over ‘stupid God’ rant

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