Duterte defends cauldron

President Rodrigo Duterte defended the construction of a giant cauldron that would be used for the country’s hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

In a press briefing in Malacañang late Tuesday, the President said it is impossible for corruption to happen in the construction of the cauldron because it was the government that commissioned a national artist to design it.

The late Francisco “Bobby” Mañosa, who is considered as one of the most influential Filipino architects of the 20th century for popularizing the neovernacular architecture, was the genius behind the cauldron, which draw controversy after being found out to have cost the government around P55 million.

“Mañosa was commissioned by the government to create it. So the cauldron that you are seeing today is a product of the mind,” the Chief Executive said.

“You cannot estimate how much you lost because it is the rendition of the mind of the creator.”

The President added that Mañosa’s work of art has no price tag.

“You cannot get anything from that. It is the rendition of the request of government for this national artist to build,” he said.

“He’s the only one who knows the price. How much did we pay? Five million? Forty-five? Well, that’s about it.”

He said just like a painting, any work of art is not cheap.