“Rody, of course, is also known for his mischief, which he admits comes to good use in getting the attention of many or in throwing off friends and foes.”

Two years of listening to President Rodrigo Duterte have made most Filipinos get the drift of his antics and rants…but not the Church and his usual critics who are always on alert for an opportunity to demonize him.

Another Rody quotable quote, “Your God is not my God because your God is stupid,” was taken literally by the Church and the self-righteous as an attack on religion.

The context of his speech, however, indicated Rody was reflecting on the Catholic belief, only spoken out loud, Rody style.

Rody said he deliberately made the controversial statement to provoke a reaction. “I am shaking the tree to see that they are alive. I am shaking the tree so even my words are rude, and I am trying to see the boundaries (of free speech),” Rody said.

Rody, of course, is also known for his mischief which he admits comes to good use in getting the attention of many or in throwing off friends and foes.

The classic Rody rants are also useful since his critics can’t second-guess whether he is telling the truth or is dishing out a joke.

Sometimes, it seems that Rody is even baiting the self-righteous, such as priests and rights groups, to gain world attention.

At the start of his presidency, he related that what he said as Davao City mayor prior to his overwhelming victory in the 2016 presidential polls hardly got noticed or published in national dailies, but now, as President, the global media pick up whatever he says.

With a patented show of temper, he would let loose his acid rhetoric, but would, in some instances, at a later speech, admit that he was just playing.

The allegations on Rody and his administration of tolerating extrajudicial killings, for instance, were mostly based on Rody’s profanities and threats against drug traffickers in which his usual line was that he would continue killing them.

“The extrajudicial tag that has been placed on me is simply not true,” he said, adding to those involved in the drugs trade, “I will kill you, make no mistake about it, I will kill you.”

Using Rody’s vitriolic statements as basis, his critics then started manufacturing the figures on the EJK allegations that had lately reached 20,000 deaths based on data Duterte chief critic Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV plucked from thin air.

Rody’s usual poker face is also a reason for his statements grabbing the global headlines since nobody knows when he is serious or just cracking a joke.

Rody, for instance, had a blast in telling an anecdote recounting one of his talks with reporters in October last year after his state visit to Japan. He claimed God talked to him while he was in the airplane warning he would be taken from this world if he did not control his vulgar tendencies.

“I was looking at the skies as I was coming over here. And everybody was asleep, snoring. A voice said that you know ‘If you don’t stop cursing, I will bring this plane down now.’ And I said, who is this? Of course, it’s God. Oh, okay. So, I promised God not to express slang, cuss words,” he said.

The next day, nearly all major news outfits, local and global, carried the story about Rody talking to God, many in a disparaging tone questioning his mental faculties.

The others welcomed the statement, saying the divine experience will make him reconsider and adjust his manner of talking.

Later on, also before reporters, Rody said the whole story was a joke.

“The fools fell for it. I’m not a Bar topnotcher, but I’m not that stupid,” he said.

“My favorite pastime in Davao is to tell all kinds of joke,” he added.

It would not be hard to imagine Rody getting a kick out of prelates and his hypocritical foes burning energy after biting on his usual mischievous bait.