MANILA - Communications Secretary Martin Andanar on Monday refused to apologize to the public for his remarks that European Union officials critical of President Rodrigo Duterte just need more sex (kulang sa iyot).

"Sabi ni Cong. Tom Villarin, dapat mag-sorry ka. I’m not gonna say sorry. I’m gonna say sorry to my wife," he told ANC's Headstart, adding that his wife "nags" him about the particular statement all the time.

Last month, Andanar told UK-based Filipinos in a video posted by Duterte News Stream Live that those who make noisy remarks against the President were just noisy, but haven’t proven anything.

• READ: Andanar on Duterte's critics in the EU: 'Kulang pa sa iyot'

"Kung tatanungin mo ang kanilang mga prime minister, mga presidente, 'yung mga talagang namamahala sa kanilang bansa -- pati sila sumusuporta kay President Duterte. Iyung mga nasa baba na palaiyot, sila lang ang maingay kasi kulang pa sa iyot," he said.

Villarin of Akbayan Party-list said Andanar should "apologize for such rude remarks."

In the interview, Andanar said the remarks were made in private and were not meant for public consumption. He said he made the remark in front of diehard Duterte supporters in London who may be used to the language.

"It was a statement done in a private gathering among Duterte Diehard Supporters, 90 percent of which, during that time na nandoon ako sa London, were really Visayans, mga Bisaya, (or taga-) Mindanao," he said.

"It’s a normal joke that we (make)—at least sa mga barkada ko sa Cagayan de Oro...It was just amongst us and I saw a lot of Visayans, they were talking, so we were tired from a long flight. We just want to have a light moment," he added.

"It was just normal for them and for them to hear it in Visayan, that made things lighter and everyone just laughed. It wasn’t for public consumption but I guess somebody made a Facebook live and was picked up by the media."

The former broadcaster said he took home a lesson after this episode, which happened around the same time that Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo made a joke with sexual innuendo in an international interview.

• READ: Panelo: I pack my clothes, not...

"The lesson learned there is to really be careful even if it’s a private gathering. I guess that’s it and be more circumspect," said Andanar.

"The lesson there is not to crack obscene jokes in public; but we’re not obsessed with sex jokes in the Cabinet," he added.