‘Duterte had nothing to do with OFW ID design’

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte had nothing to do with the placing of his photo on the government-issued identification cards (IDs) for overseas Filipino workers, Malacañang said yesterday. 

Duterte’s photo on the migrant workers’ IDs earned criticism online, with some social media users describing it as the handiwork of a “hypocrite” or an “epal,” a term referring to a person seeking attention. 

Others pointed out that the photo of the President was bigger than that of the owner of the ID. 

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque believes Duterte was not behind the design of the ID. 

“Did he (Duterte) not order the removal of his photo in offices? I don’t think he knew about this,” Roque said. 

Roque was referring to Memorandum Circular No. 25 ordering agencies to display photos or paintings of heroes instead of elected officials. The memorandum was issued on Sept. 15, 2017.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III told ABS-CBN News yesterday that the ID design was an initiative of his agency. 

“I just want to underscore the concern of the President for the welfare of our workers,” the labor chief said.