Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte stated that there is no need to celebrate 500 years of Christianity in the Catholic majority country in 2021.
Speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony in the City of Naga, Cebu, Duterte linked the arrival of Christianity to colonialism. “Why would I celebrate the arrival of the Spanish here? Why would I?” he said.
“You know, they came to this country as imperialists. We are not Spanish and they subjugated us for 300 years. That’s painful for me… And yet I was asked for a commemoration for the 500 years since they arrived here,” he added. Read more