Philippine President tells critics to blame God for his foul mouth

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who is known for using inflammatory language, said that he does not see a need to change his ways. He advised those who criticize him for his use of foul language to "go to God and complain."

Duterte expressed his belief that he does not need to change because he has not suffered defeat in his 40 years in politics.

"Change is for the corrupt. Don't include me there. Why should I change? God made me the way I am. God gave me this identity. God gave me this mouth because they say we are the creations of God," he said in an interview with ABS-CBN News, according to The Philippine Star.

"If you have something against me, about my mouth, about my character, go to God and complain. He was the one who made me. He is the one to be blamed not me," the president continued.

In a separate interview, the president said that there is no incentive for him to maintain a positive image because he is no longer running in an election.

In October last year, the president claimed that God told him to stop using cuss words while he was on his way back to the Philippines from his three-day visit to Japan. He said that God threatened to bring down the plane if he does not stop cursing.

"A voice said that you know 'If you don't stop, I will bring this plane down now.' And I said, who is this? Of course, it's God. Oh, OK. So, I promised God not to express slang, cuss words," he stated upon his arrival at the Davao City International Airport.

The Philippine president has been known to use expletives that are usually directed against his critics. He allegedly cursed Pope Francis for the traffic jams caused by the papal visit in January 2015. He had also castigated the United States, European Union, United Nations and human rights groups for criticizing his stance on the drug war in the Philippines.

Over 2,000 people have been killed by the police since the war on drugs was launched in July. According to Human Rights Watch, nearly 4,000 more were killed by unidentified gunmen.

A survey published in November 2016 revealed that 77 percent of Filipinos are satisfied with the president's performance. However, in the same survey, 51 percent of the respondents believe that his habit of publicly cursing foreign officials is harmful to Philippine relations with other countries.