Video courtesy of PTV

MANILA — President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday likened to "Nazi" interrogators senators who are looking into his government's use of billions of pesos in funds for the COVID-19 crisis.

"Seven hours, bugbugin mo ang tao ng tanong, mawawala talaga 'yan, maski ako tanungin mo. Sometimes they do that," Duterte said in a taped speech that aired on Tuesday.

(For 7 hours, if you beat somebody with questions, they will be lost, even me.)

"I think the last time was about 7 hours, the longest... Para kang German interrogators doon sa Nazi, baliktarin ka nang baliktarin hanggang 'yong pati sila natutulala na... Wala namang kahalagahan 'yong mga question," he added.

(You are like German interrogators in the Nazi. You will be flipped and flipped until even they are at a loss. The questions have no value.)

Senators in previous hearings have criticized Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, who Duterte has defended many times, for relying too much on his subordinates in answering questions about his agency's spending.

The lawmakers also hit his emotional remarks against government auditors who flagged "deficiencies" in the health department's management of some P67 billion in pandemic funds.

• Senators hit Duque for passing on questions to other DOH officials in Blue Ribbon probe
• Duque says to resign 'if the time comes' but must clear DOH deficiencies first

Duterte singled out Sen. Richard Gordon, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee, for supposedly asking leading questions and a "nasty" habit of depriving others the chance to speak.

"Siya ang nanalo sa talkathon, champion. Puro daldal, kaniya ang tanong, kaniya iyong sagot at siya ang magsabi kung mali ka o hindi... Gordon is Gordon, hindi 'yan Gordon is for the Filipino people," said the President.

(He won the talkathon, he was champion. All talk, the question is his, the answer is his, and he will tell you whether you are wrong or right.)

Addressing Gordon, Duterte said, "Ang advice ko sa iyo magpapapayat ka muna para medyo—nalilipong ako 'pag tinitingnan kita. Huwag mo putulin 'yan, totoo 'yan. Pati 'yong buhok mo ngayon, iba na ang hinapay."

(My advice to you is get slimmer first so that—I get dizzy when I look at you. Do not cut that out, it is true. Even your hair now, it is different.)

"Lahat kayo, pati si Ping, iba ang hairdo," he added, referring to Sen. Panfilo Lacson.

(All of you, even Ping, your hairdo is different.)

The President added, "Ping, anybody can demand your resignation maski ice cream vendor, depende na lang kung sasagot ka o hindi because there will be questions in the days to come."

(Anybody can demand your resignation, even an ice cream vendor, whether or not you'll answer depends on you because there will be questions in the days to come.)

While Duterte denied he was politicking, he also asked the public, "Kung pagbigyan lang ninyo ako, 'yong lahat ng senador na tumatakbo, talunin n'yo."

"Huwag n'yong ibalik sa Senado dahil magdaldal nang magdaldal na rin n'yan at mag-show off," he continued.

(If you will only grant my wish, all of the senators who are running, make them lose. Do not bring them back to the Senate because they will just keep talking and show off.)

Lacson said the Senate "will not flinch" in its investigation, despite Duterte's remarks.

Addressing the President's personal attacks, he added, "I don’t know what he is talking about. I haven’t changed the way I comb my hair since long before he had lost his mind."

Gordon, meanwhile, laughed it off.

"Bakit tatawaging mataba ako? Alam ko po mataba ako. Eh 'di naman tayo nagpapagandahang lalaki, palagay ko mananalo naman ako sa inyo 'pag nagpagandahang lalaki tayo," he said.