PALACE GIVES OWN DEFINITION

MANILA (UPDATE) - How will you use “Duterte” in a sentence? An online site and the Malacanang Palace have opposite ways.

For Urban Dictionary, an online glossary of slang terms, the Philippine president’s last name can be used as a noun to mean “scam, sham, rip-off, or a traitor.”

The top definition of the word also explains that it can be used as a verb to mean “to scam, trick, con or use unscrupulous means to an end, and to betray.”

As an adjective, Urban Dictionary says “Duterte” means “deceptive, sly, fake, corrupt, and crooked.”

There are 2 other entries for the word “Duterte” with the second one describing it as “leftover sh*t” while the third one says it is a colloquial word for anything that relates to the Philippine leader.

‘ALL GOOD THINGS’

But while the online glossary defines the word “Duterte” as mostly negative, Malacañang meanwhile sees it as “exactly the opposite.”

Sought for comment, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said Tuesday the chief executive’s surname is synonymous to “all good things.”

“Duterte to us means honest, incorruptible, [a] politically-willed person, courageous, selfless, transparent, and all good things that come and other synonymous terms,” Panelo said.

Communication Secretary Martin Andanar however condemned the website's move, saying it was "degrading" to the President.

"We strongly denounce the act of associating the name of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte with degrading words such as “scam” and “traitor,” Andanar said in a statement.

"The online content featured in the Urban Dictionary are contributed by anyone who has access to their website, and voted upon by unaccredited editors. In the absence of strict rules, style guides, and moderators, the contributions therein are essentially inaccurate, illegitimate, and defamatory," he said.

Urban Dictionary accepts submissions from netizens and entries become part of its list once accepted by its volunteer editors. The dictionary, however, does not follow a specific set of criteria for reviewing entries.