Puyat says she chided Duterte for comment on legs

President Rodrigo Duterte received a piece of then Agriculture Undersecretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat's mind after he, in a speech, commented on the executive's legs.

In an interview on Bawal Ang Pasaway kay Mareng Winnie, Puyat was asked about how she reacted when Duterte joked about being distracted by her legs.

"I was surprised because at that time I had not talked to him for months," Puyat told Winnie Monsod.

"Of course you don't do it publicly, you respect the position, he was delivering a speech. You do not reprimand the President in public. So privately I told him that, 'Mr. President I don't think that was proper'," he added.

Puyat said Duterte apologized for his remarks.

"Then he apologized and not only that, he apologized publicly and since he apologized publicly... for me, move on," Puyat said.

Puyat said she first met Duterte in 2014. She also revealed that her mother and the Chief Executive were "old friends."

"Childhood friend siya ng mommy ko, neighbors sila sa Davao. Nung una niyang nalaman na anak ako ni Lovely Romulo, ang una niyang sinabi, 'Alam mo lahat kami may crush sa nanay mo. 'Yung litrato pa niya ay nasa wallet namin,'" Puyat said.

She also recalled an instance when Duterte "playfully" held her hand. For her, the incident was no big deal.

"Mapabiro lang talaga 'yan. That time we were on Paquibato District, we were on stage playfully he just held my hand. Since then, he has never done it. It was really a non-issue," Puyat said.

Duterte appointed Puyat to the post as a replacement for Wanda Teo, who resigned amid the controversial P60-million tourism ad payments to her brother's media entity.

She took her oath before the President on May 14. —Anna Felicia Bajo/NB, GMA News