Q and A with Panelo is Duterte’s way of speaking to Filipinos, Palace says
MANILA, Philippines — As long as President Rodrigo Duterte was able to “talk” to Filipinos, the mode does not matter.
Malacañang made this point Wednesday, a day after the chief executive answered questions fielded by Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo, which ranged from the nullification of the amnesty given to Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV to the soaring prices of commodities.
“I was very literal when I told you Monday that he wants to talk to the nation… The format does not matter but what he did was talk to the nation,” presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a press briefing Wednesday.
Roque explained that Duterte’s “nation address”—initially a press conference with reporters—was done to discuss pressing issues confronting the nation.
“The motivation is obvious. The media mileage went to Senator Trillanes because we were working in Israel and Jordan. Just to settle all issues, the president decided to talk to the nation in that format,” he said.
The president’s mouthpiece added: “That’s the only justification for it: the need for the president to be heard on these issues because he’s not been heard.”
Duterte’s desire to be heard comes on the heels of the controversial nullification of amnesty given to Trillanes, the spike in the country’s inflation rate and the supposed ouster plots against him, among others.
The interview, which lasted for an hour and a half, offered nothing new but a reiteration of previous statements and rants of the president.
Duterte, many times in the talk, mentioned his nemesis, Trillanes, even when tackling other topics.
Members of the opposition, such as Sen. Risa Hontiveros, called the interview a “complete disappointment” and a “total waste of time and precious government resources.”
She said that the president failed to present concrete measures to solve the country’s rice crisis and the spike in the prices of basic goods and services.
Even before the “showbiz type” public address started, the announcements on whether it would push through and the format of the talk caused confusion among the public.
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