No policy to edit Duterte’s speech: Palace

FILE: President Rodrigo Roa Duterte at the Malago Clubhouse in Malacañang on April 6, 2020. ACE MORANDANTE/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

MANILA – There is no policy to edit President Rodrigo Duterte’s speech delivered in any of his scheduled activities before it can be aired on television, Malacañang said on Tuesday.

“Hindi naman po iyan policy (That’s not a policy). I don’t think there’s ever a policy in that regard,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a virtual presser, when quizzed if the government has a new policy to edit Duterte’s speech before it can be made public.

Roque made the statement following claims that some of Duterte’s remarks in Jolo, Sulu on Monday were omitted.

Speaking before soldiers in Jolo, Sulu, Duterte said he was successful in toppling an “oligarchy” without the need to declare martial law in the country.

Some have floated the possibility that Duterte might be referring to embattled local media giant ABS-CBN Corp. when he claimed that he was able to “dismantle” the oligarchy that is taking advantage of “political power” to control the country for several years.

Roque said he could not tell whether Duterte’s speech in Jolo was edited because he was unable to join the President in a meeting with the military.

“Hindi ko po alam kung edited iyan. Unfortunately, hindi po ako kasama (I don’t know if that was edited. Unfortunately, I was not there),” he said.

Roque, nevertheless, believed that Duterte’s latest pronouncement was directed against business tycoons Lucio Tan, Manuel V. Pangilinan (MVP), and Fernando Zobel de Ayala.

“I go by his prior statements. Pagdating sa oligarchy, palagi niyang sinasabi, MVP, Ayala, Lucio Tan (When he talks about oligarchy, he always mentions MVP, Ayala, and Lucio Tan),” he said. “He (Duterte) must be referring to the oligarchs, which he named and he actually threatened to destroy but reconsidered.”

Asked if Duterte’s entire speech can be aired on national television, Roque said the decision would be up to the Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) and its attached agency, Radio Television Malacañang (RTVM).

“Well, hindi po ako iyan (I cannot decide on that). That’s (up to) PCOO, RTVM,” he said.

Before the country was hit by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, Duterte’s speeches were usually aired live on PTV-4 and other Facebook pages controlled by the executive branch.

However, Duterte’s communications team opted to edit his public addresses, resulting in the late airing of his speeches on PTV-4 and other government webpages.

Roque on April 14 promised to push for the earlier broadcast schedule of Duterte’s public addresses.

On July 9, Roque explained that Palace reporters made a request to broadcast Duterte’s public address on the same day it is delivered.