Roque hits anti-corruption body spokesman for causing confusion

April 20, 2018

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque rebuked on Friday the spokesman of the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission for causing "confusion" by apparently speaking for President Rodrigo Duterte.

In a press briefing, Roque said that PACC Commissioner and spokesperson Greco Belgica should coordinate with him if he would speak something about the president.

"Let me be very clear: He doesn’t speak for the Office of the President," he said.

Roque made the statement after Belgica has said four presidential appointees would be dismissed by Duterte.

He said what Belgica has is a list of names that the PACC apparently submitted to Duterte to be acted upon.

"But it doesn’t mean the president will adopt their findings. I just want to clarify, it's confusing. I was being asked who were those four? The president has no decision yet (on that)," he said.

"He is a spokesperson of the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission. What he should be announcing is they provided the president with the list of officials whom they feel should be sacked. But even before they were created, the president already has a list," he stressed.

Roque said he did not even know if the PACC recommendation has reached Duterte.

"They haven't even communicated with me. We have an established procedure in the Executive which is centralized news releasing," he said.

He urged Belgica to coordinate with his office to avoid confusion. Celerina Monte/DMS