President Rodrigo Duterte speaks at the inauguration of the Bataan Government Center and Business Hub in Balanga City, Bataan @ABSCBNNews pic.twitter.com/kNJNmjubyk

— Arianne Merez (@arianne_merez) September 12, 2019

MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte apologized Thursday for wearing a casual floral short-sleeved polo to the inauguration of a business hub in Bataan.

Duterte, who has a habit of rolling up his sleeves even on formal events, explained that he thought the inauguration of the Bataan Government Center and Business Hub in Balanga City was an outdoor event.

“I’d like to apologize for my attire. I do not know why it’s protocol who says what I should wear for an event,” he said.

The attendees were mostly in formal attire: the men wore Barong Tagalog while women came in smart casual.

“Inilalagay na ho nila sa kama ko (They placed it on my bed). And I thought it was just an outdoor [event],” he said.

Also known as “The Bunker,” the new government center in Balanga City is designed as a one-stop shop that houses several national and local government agencies in Bataan.

In his speech, Duterte praised the provincial government for its leadership.

“Sabihin ko sa inyo, in a scale of 1 to 10, maybe Bataan has reached its apex in governance at about 8. Iyong iba, hanggang ngayon, nag-one,” he said.

(I’ll tell you that in a scale of 1 to 10, maybe Bataan has reached its apex in governance at about 8. Others are only at level 1.)