Duterte still has “full trust and confidence” with Cayetano: Roque

May 5, 2018

President Rodrigo Duterte has full trust and confidence with Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano amid calls for his resignation.

“I’m not in the position to comment on the calls for him to resign because that’s addressed to him. But the President continues to have full trust and confidence on Secretary Cayetano,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said in a press briefing in Davao City on Saturday.

“Well I think the president—the president unless he fires a secretary, has trust and confidence in them but I think you know when there are controversies he will investigate and he will make decisions in full as they may be, but I think he already has a track record—I think the people can trust the President that he will do the right thing,” he added.

The calls for Cayetano’s resignation mounted amid the diplomatic row between Philippines and Kuwait following the controversial rescue of Filipino migrant workers from their employers’ homes almost two weeks ago. Kuwait expelled Philippine Ambassador Renato Pedro Villa and recalled its envoy in Manila.

It can be recalled last week Duterte announced the permanent deployment ban of Filipino workers to Kuwait but it was later clarified by the Palace.

"There is nothing permanent. As long as there is no memorandum of understanding. There is no lifting of the deployment ban. It's misleading if we say permanent... it's conditional to the signing of the MOU," said Roque on April 30.

The deployment ban was ordered by Duterte following the discovery of the death of a Filipina worker who was found in a freezer in an abandoned apartment in Kuwait last February. Robina Asido/DMS