President Rodrigo Duterte has fired back against critics who said that he was ‘missing in action’ during the onslaught of super typhoon ‘Rolly’ over the weekend.

“Kaya nga ako umuwi. Itong mga ugok naman sabihin wala ako. I was just waiting for the typhoon to pass then lumipad ako,” Duterte said in a meeting with Cabinet officials on Monday.

“You know kung wala kayong mga patay, okay lang. Kaming may mga patay, kailangan umuwi doon sa amin,” he added.

The President was in Davao last week to visit the grave of his parents, a day before the nationwide closure of all cemeteries took effect.

“‘Yong nagsabi na wala ako dito kasi wala nasa probinsya, what’s the problem? Ang mga papeles pinadala ninyo tapos pirmahan ko, padala ko ulit. Eh machine lang naman yan eh,” he added.

Duterte asked critics on what they wanted him to do at the height of the typhoon.

“So the fact na wala ako dito sa pagbagyo. Do you want me to stand doon sa white sand ni Roy Cimatu? Just to show that I am here?” Duterte said.

The President said that they only waited for the typhoon to pass before flying to Manila immediately.

“Kaming lahat wala because may bagyo eh. Eh ngayon, I was waiting for the tail end noong bagyo. Lumipad ako,” he said.

The Twitter hashtags #NasaanAngPangulo and #NasaanSiDuterte were top trending topics last Sunday.

The President was also not present during the first high profile meeting of government officials after typhoon ‘Rolly’.