MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday denied any connection to British data analytics firm, Cambridge Analytica, which is in the center of a firestorm for misusing Facebook data.
"Wala akong alam. Hindi ko man kilala 'yan," he said when asked after his arrival in Davao City from a four-day visit in China and Hong Kong.
The Palace earlier denied that Duterte's presidential campaign availed the services of Cambridge Analytica during the 2016 presidential elections.
Duterte's campaign team was embroiled into the controversy after they were photograph with Alexander Nix, then board director of Cambridge Analytica parent company Strategic Communications Laboratories (SCL), in May 2015.
In the photo together with Nix were cousins Peter Laviña and Jose Gabriel "Pompee" La Viña, then National Press Club president Joel Sy Egco, and Istratehiya Chairman Atty. Taipan Millan.
"Wala akong Cambridge, Cambridge, Oxford. Basta ang aking kampanya simple lang," he said.
"Ito ang sabi ko sa Luneta...Sabi ko, kayong lahat na naniwala sa pari, naniniwala sa diyos, at ayaw ninyo ng patayan sa mga droga, gusto niyong buhayin 'yang mga p***** i**** 'yan diyan kayo."
"At ngayon, kung sino ang gusto na patayin ko, tapos gusto ninyo na tao na, nandiyan si Inday eh, gustong magpunta ng impyerno, patayin natin ang mga durugista, dito kayo."
Social media giant Facebook, in a blog posted in April 4, said almost 1.2 million Filipinos were among 87 million users whose data were improperly shared by Cambridge Analytica.
The consulting firm was accused of manipulating U.S. voters in the 2016 presidential election.
Duterte, who was elected into office by a landslide against four other candidates, garnered more than 16 million votes, over six million more than his closest rival.
"Hindi ako bilib diyan sa survey-survey. Kita mo, in to the last day, kailan lang ako gumanun," he said.
"Tsaka, bakit ako magbabayad sa mga ugok na Cambridge ang magtrabaho para sa kampanya ko, lalo akong matalo niyan."