Harry Roque won’t win as senator, says Duterte

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte has asked his spokesman, Harry Roque Jr., to stay in the Cabinet and offered the former party-list lawmaker a new post ahead of next week’s filing of certificates of candidacy at the Commission on Elections for next year’s midterm elections.

“Roque and others want to become senators. I told Roque: you stand by. I will give you a new post. You won’t win (a seat in the Senate),” Duterte said in Filipino on Wednesday during a gathering of top police and military officials at Malacañang.

“Why? Soldiers don’t like you,” Duterte told Roque.

Roque said he would think about Duterte’s offer.

According to Roque, the President has offered him “a position which currently does not exist yet,” without revealing the post.

“There was no categorical agreement on what to do. I did say I will consider it and I wanted the weekend to think it over. He mentioned it again in the (Philippine Military Academy) affair, but I think the manner by which he mentioned it was typical Duterte – his cariño brutal (tough love), if you need to put it,” Roque said.

Roque added that the message he got was “(Duterte) prefers that I stay.”