MANILA - President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday defended his habit of making jokes in his public speeches, even as his pronouncements carry weight and somehow have an impact on national policy.

Duterte earlier this week drew flak for joking that he takes marijuana to keep himself awake.

• Joke only: Duterte says he takes marijuana

The President said he only wanted to "lighten a dull moment” everytime he speaks in public, which is why he sometimes utter jokes.

“If it is too ridiculous, it must be a joke,” Duterte said in a speech during the awarding ceremonies for the 2017 Presidential Award for Child-Friendly Municipalities and Cities (PACFMC) in Malacañang.

• Palace: Duterte entitled to make jokes

While Duterte defended his remarks, New York-based Human Rights Watch said it was not funny, considering that many people have died in the government’s war on drugs.

“Marijuana is illegal in the Philippines, and Duterte’s admission of using it – whether in jest or not – undermines the rationale for his “drug war” and exposes its murderous hypocrisy. It adds cruel insult to injury for the victims and their families,” said HRW Asia Director Brad Adams.

“If Duterte wasn’t joking, then perhaps he will support the global trend to legalize cannabis use to help alleviate medical conditions. Human Rights Watch believes that personal drug use, being a matter of individual choice protected by international law, should be decriminalized.”

“Perhaps this episode will push Duterte to realize his hypocrisy and order the police to stop arresting and killing people who, like himself, personally benefit from cannabis. Otherwise, why shouldn’t the anti-drug agents knock on the door of Malacañang?”

Duterte has waged a controversial war on drugs, mostly targeting users and traders of shabu, the drug of choice for many addicts in the Philippines.

While the President is against synthetic substances such as shabu, he is open to the use of marijuana for medical purposes.