Roque calls media unfair over reports against him; won’t run for 2022 polls

December 1, 2020

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque who has been a subject of recent criticisms said on Tuesdayhe would not run for any public office as he looks forward to going back to private life by 2022.

"After what I've seen with the kind of media reporting and the kind of trolls that the opposition has, I'm looking forward to retirement from government service," Roque said in a televised press briefing.

The spokesman accused the media of "unfair" reporting after he was criticized in an event in a beach area in Madridejos town, Bantayan Island, Cebu where people failed to observe physical distancing, one of the minimum health standards the government has been implementing to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease.

In the press briefing, Roque showed his photo in the Bantayan Island event and the photos of Vice President Leni Robredo shaking hands also with the people she visited.

"What I feel bad about is, why are the Inquirer and ABS-CBN always hit(ting) me? When you saw VP Leni on the screen hand shaking, isn't this a violation of the restriction on social distancing? My question to our colleagues in the media, I hope they are fair," Roque said.

He said it was on record that during the Bantayan incident, he told the people they were violating the health protocols and he even requested the local government officials to end the program.

"And true enough, in less than an hour, the program was finished," he said.

Roque said he also welcomes any investigation.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año earlier said that investigation would be conducted on the incident involving Roque as well as that of Senator Emmanuel Pacquiao who went to Agoncillo, Batangas recently and minimum health protocols, such as physical distancing, were also apparently not observed.

Robredo's spokesperson Barry Gutierrez slammed Roque for bashing Robredo.

"I look forward to the day when officials in this administration can just be accountable, accept responsibility, and commit to doing better, instead of bashing the VP every time the Filipino public call out their shortcomings. But I'm not holding my breath. You held a mañanita in the beach and then you're pointing at VP? Wow," he said.

For the past months, Roque has frequented various places in the country and held his regular press briefings there.

Last week when he visited Quezon province, during the live telecast press briefing, Quezon Governor Danilo Suarez called Roque a "senator" even if the elections are still to be held by 2022.

"All my life, I've always been a private person. I only became a government employee when I became a congressman in 2016. And I'm happy to say that actually I have been there and done that, and I look forward to having my privacy again come 2022," Roque said.

In jest, he added that he wants to go back to his previous role of opposing the presidents.

"That could be more exciting," said Roque, who used to be a human rights lawyer. Celerina Monte/DMS