"Maybe I did something good," was President Duterte's candid remark on his becoming the President of the country, pausing to reflect that he may have "impressed Jesus with a past good deed."
He also thinks that becoming President at 71 was also God's perfect "timing" because illnesses due to age have started to come out.
Duterte turned candid at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Philippine Sports Training Center in Bagac, Bataan, on June 17. In his speech, the President said he was still wondering what made him deserving of the country's top leadership post.
"Ewan ko kung anong nagawa ko sa buhay na ito (I don't know what is it that I did in this life)," he said.
"Maybe I have done something good na na-impress ko si Jesus (that I have impressed Jesus)," he added.
Only weeks to go before he steps down on June 30 from being the President of the country to a private citizen, Duterte's sentimental remarks caught observers in surprise as his past remarks bringing God's name had stirred more of a controversy than sentiment.
But on that occasion, President Duterte shared that there was no Holy Week when he did not kneel in front of the altar to talk to God, telling Him about the difficulties of his job and asking for His help.
But true to the President's unusual way of viewing things, his conversation with Jesus went like this:
"Sa altar ka man mag-kneel down, tingin ako kay Hesukristo. Ingon ko, 'Jes, pareha talaga ang suwerte natin. Magtulungan na lang tayo, naghihirap na ako dito.' (I kneel at the altar and look at Jesus Christ. I say, 'Jesus, our fate are the same. Just help me because I'm finding it difficult, also.')," he said.
He said God meant him to be where he has been in the last six years.
"Ganoon ang buhay ko. Pero binigyan ako ng Panginoong Diyos na dito (That's my life. But God intended for me to be here)," he added.
The President's remarks on his religious side did not stop there. He continued to quote what he said is his favorite Bible verse -- Ecclesiastes 3, which starts with "To everything, there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven."
There is a time for everything, the President remarked, and in a reflective mood, he says his star would soon dim.
"There is a time to be friends and a time to be enemies. There is a time for killing and a time to be at peace. A time to be young and a time to be old. A time to be a shining star in the skies," he said.
"Kagaya ko (Like me), 22 years mayor, congressman... I used to be a shining star. But after June 30, I would only be an ordinary citizen at ganoon na lang kalaki. Ganoon ang buhay (Just a small one. That's life)," he added.
President Duterte's presidency was controversial for many reasons, and one of those was his anti-God remarks. In 2018, he slammed the Creation story and questioned the concept of "original sin."
But despite criticizing the Catholic Church, President Duterte has always thought the "presidency is a gift from God."
On the same occasion, President Duterte also chose to disclose his battles with illnesses at his age which his office had not acknowledged every time rumors about them came out.
But he called his illnesses coming now, "perfect timing" because they showed up just as he was about to step down from the presidency.
"Last year lang ito, naglabasan na lahat ang sakit, then ang term ko matatapos na rin (Just last year, all the illnesses came out just as my term is about to end)," the 77-year-old leader said.
"Timing lang, timing lang talaga ang binigay ng Panginoong Diyos (God had the perfect timing)," he added.
President Duterte has had his share of health scares over the past six years. In August 2020, President Duterte revealed that his doctor advised him to stop drinking because his Barrett's esophagus ailment was nearing Stage I cancer.
In October 2019, President Duterte was invited to witness the enthronement of Japanese Emperor Akihito but had to cut his trip short due to "unbearable pain" after figuring in a minor motorcycle incident days before his overseas trip.
In a meeting with members of the Filipino community in Moscow, Russia, in October 2019, Duterte revealed that he was suffering from "myasthenia gravis," a disease that causes muscle weakness.
President Duterte also had a cancer scare in October 2018 after he revealed that doctors found a "growth" in his body during an endoscopy. Test results showed that the growth was not cancerous.
So what can be up ahead for the President? He may return to teaching after he steps down from being the President. But that's a statement he said early this month. The President can always change his mind when he is private citizen Rudy.