President Rodrigo Duterte was tight-lipped on Friday on why he appointed former Kabayan Rep. Harry Roque as the new presidential spokesperson replacing Ernesto Abella, saying it is his “personal decision.”
“The reason is personal decision. I am not about to explain why I did it,” Duterte told reporters on the pre-departure briefing at the Davao International Airport before he departs for a two-day official visit to Japan.
Duterte announced Roque’s appointment during the lawmaker’s birthday celebration on October 27. Roque will attend the first Cabinet meeting on Monday, November 6.
Duterte praised Roque, saying the latter will “carry my word to the public and he’s very competent.”
“Meet the new presidential spokesman… It’s in the messaging, actually, we cannot speak with the same words altogether. How he will convey the message for me will be the most important,” Duterte added.
Roque was previously the Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives. He is also a human rights lawyer who represented Maguindanao massacre victims in 2009 and the family of transgender Jennifer Laude, who was killed by a U.S. Marine in 2014, among others.
Duterte earlier endorsed Roque for the 2019 senatorial elections.
Roque said in a statement that he will not compromise his values in speaking on behalf of the president.
“By accepting this position, I am not condoning the violence surrounding the government’s anti-drug campaign,” Roque said.
However, when asked if he will appoint Abella to other government posts, Duterte answered: “I will answer you when he’s there.”
The president was allegedly dissatisfied on how Abella handled and answered several issues confronting his administration.