DAVAO CITY - Presidential aspirant and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte did not mince words regarding Cotabato Governor Emmylou "Lala" Mendoza over farmers who went hungry in the Mindanao province because of El Niño.

Duterte, in a forum attended by civil registrars in Davao City on Wednesday, lashed out at Mendoza who said in a DZMM interview on Sunday that she felt insulted by supporters of politicians who were donating rice to farmers.

Mendoza also dismissed the rice donations as a "publicity stunt."

"May gusto akong sabihin kay Lala (Mendoza). T***** mo, wala akong pakialam diyan, l*** ka," said Duterte.

Thousands of farmers from Cotabato province staged a protest at the national highway in the city of Kidapawan to ask for drought subsidy. The protest ended in a violent dispersal of the protesters.

Days after the incident, supporters of Duterte and the city government of Davao sent hundreds of sacks of rice to the farmers.

Duterte said that he had no hand in sending the rice and denied using it as a publicity stunt.

"I was in Manila all the time. Maybe somebody, either in good faith or a bad joke," he said.

The tough-talking mayor went on to say that the governor and the Liberal Party are merely being "epal" - a diminutive of the vernacular "pumapapel," or someone who wants to be given attention in matters that do not concern him.

"Huwag mo ngang sabihing epal-epal ako. Kayo ang epal diyan, Liberal," Duterte said.

"Hindi ako masyado, 'yung bunganga mo! Huwag mong pa-ano ano. Galit ako sa ganun. Hindi ko alam, I was out of town, busy campaigning outside. Hoy Lala, hindi ako ganun. Never, never ako nag-epal epal sa buhay ko. Wala akong pakialam sa kanya!" he added.

Duterte also said that there was nothing wrong with Davao City sending rice to the farmers.

"Huwag mo akong maliin. Maski na papano, assuming galing Davao 'yan, bakit ka magagalit na magtanggap 'yung mga tao ng makakain. Why? What is fundamentally wrong if somebody writes my name in a sack of rice and gives it to the people na naroon? Eh sabi nila gutom, eh sabi ninyo merong bigas, eh di bigyan ninyo," Duterte said.

READ: North Cotabato governor justifies action vs protesters

DUTERTE CALLS ROXAS ‘BAYOT’

Duterte did not let the opportunity to slip without also going after his political rival, former Interior Secretary Mar Roxas.

"Wala, si Mar, bayot. Hindi niya kaya. Hindi. Kaya ko kasi lalaki ako," Duterte said, referring to Roxas.

"Hindi ka lalaki, papaano 'yan? Takot kang pumatay, takot kang mamatay. Eh subukan mo ako. Maghawak ka ng shabu sa harap ko, pasabugin ko ulo mo. You try holding shabu in my presence. 'Pag di kita binaril sa ulo, t***** mo," Duterte added.

"L**** ka. Ikaw bayot, ako kaya ko. Hindi ka marunong pumatay? Eh kung patayin ko lahat 'yan isang araw, anong pakialam mo. Ginawa ko na 'yun noon, eh ba di gagawin ko uli ah," he continued.

Roxas earlier said Duterte's campaign pitch of solving crimes in just three to six months is impossible to achieve.

"So, papapano sasabihin na titigil lahat ito sa loob ng tatlo hanggang anim na buwan kung sa dalawampung taon sa Davao City, hindi ito nasugpo?" Roxas said.

READ: Duterte's anti-crime vow 'pambobola,' says Roxas

Duterte said Roxas, as a former DILG chief, had control of the police.

"Siya ang may hawak ng pulis, hindi kami. During the time that you were the DILG secretary, you were in control of the police, wala ka lang alam," Duterte said.

"Ang alam mo, 'yung Wharton-Wharton. Know about the local government, about the laws. Ikaw yung may hawak ng pulis, hindi kami. Kaya ang tawag diyan, national police," Duterte added.