New spox need not be confirmed by CA: Pimentel

FILE: Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III (Photo: By Albert Calvelo – Public Relation and Information Bureau (original here), Senate of the Philippines, Public Domain)

MANILA — Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III and ex-officio chairman of the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA) on Thursday said incoming presidential spokesman Harry Roque need not be confirmed by the appointments body.

“The presidential spokesman, in my opinion, need not be confirmed anymore by the CA,” Pimentel said in a press statement.

Pimentel said this is because the presidential spokesman does not run a department like the other cabinet secretaries.

He added that it was the sole discretion of President Rodrigo Duterte to appoint a presidential spokesperson just like the Presidential Legal Counsel and Executive Secretary.

“Presidential spokesman, like the presidential legal counsel and executive secretary, should be 100 percent left to the discretion of the President,” he added.

Roque earlier said he would assume his new post on Monday (November 6) without resigning from the House of Representatives yet.

He said he would have to wait for his appointment papers before resigning as a congressman but acknowledged that he could not serve as spokesman and congressman at the same time.

The congressman is currently the deputy minority leader in the House, representing the Kabayan partylist.