The statements of Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque and the tweets of Philippine ambassador to the United Nations Teodoro Locsin, Jr related to President Duterte’s decision to withdraw Philippine membership in the International Criminal Court gave the public insights about the disarray in the Malacañang team.
The oblique remarks of the two officials give credence to “don’t-quote-me” info from Malacañang insiders that it was Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo that the President talked with before the 15-page statement that he didn’t even sign was released to the media.
The reason cited was what Panelo has been defending all over TV and radio: It was not published in the Official Gazette within a certain period of time from its signing into law.
It’s stressful to listen to Panelo’s intelligence-challenged arguments. Masakit sa bangs.
Malacañang sources said Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea was upset with Panelo’s advice which merely reinforced what Duterte had long wanted but opposed by majority of the experts consulted about the matter.
But Duterte, same sources said, is pressured by the concern of police officers that their involvement in Duterte’s brutal anti-drug war would subject them to the long arm of the ICC and their careers and their future choices in life would be adversely affected. Like, what if we decide to immigrate and our name is in the ICC’s watchlist?
This concern, sources said, has caused some members of the PNP to be holding back in pursuing Duterte’s controversial all- out war against illegal drugs which have claimed the lives of thousands without going through the legal process.
The sentiments of Locsin, who had the task of submitting the notice of withdrawal from the ICC to the U.N, about the decision can be gleaned from his tweets which indicated he wanted to get it over quickly. He tweeted: “I didn’t write that text though nor have I read it. I had other things to do. But I insisted it be delivered today. Not next week. The original from Manila was wrongly addressed and a mere fax. My girls corrected that, had it retyped on official paper, and I initialed it.”
He said he didn’t even read it: “I’ll read the statement one day; I just wanted it delivered yesterday. If I’d read it, with my editorial standards, who knows, it’d still be going back and forth and everybody’d still be yakking. Appointment with chef de cabinet was at 6 and St. Patrick’s Day fete at 6.30.”
He said it was “A sad day” but justified the decision saying “ human rights has been politicized. We resisted US pressure not to join until we finally signed on only to have it weaponized against our democracy fighting an existential threat from the drug trade.”
Roque, the only Filipino accredited to practice as a defense counsel in the ICC, had the difficult task of defending something he didn’t agree with. Reporters didn’t make it easy for him. They retrieved his tweet seven years ago hailing the ratification by the Philippine Senate of the resolution to be a member of the ICC: “ After 11 years of lobby, Phil now a state party to the ICC. No to impunity. Yes!”
Stung by criticisms, Roque retaliated in his press briefing: “And may I take this opportunity to my bashers. Number one, your bashing will not affect me. Number two, iyong mga kino-quote n’yo pong mga opinion ko, I stand by my personal opinions, but when I became Presidential Spokesperson, I lost my personal opinions. I can only speak the thoughts of the President. That is the nature of my job.”
Affected.
Truly in disarray, or is it a ploy to distract the public so the more lucrative agenda can be advanced?
Another instance of disarray is when Duterte’s gambling factotum Andrea Domingo went on television to sign an agreement with Chinese investors to build a casino in Boracay, in seeming contradiction to Duterte’s recent declaration that the island has turned into a “cesspool” by unbridled development and must be closed if the current situation is not addressed.
Hmmm…this feels like the online gambling business which he threatened to shut down last year.
disarray big time na. in effect, they’re already practicing federalism, ‘regions’ at loggerheads and competing against one another. gulo kaayo, ‘regions’ going even lower than normal just to get on with the job, survival mode na.
how easily teddy boy locsin give up his standard, not been in same situation before, no precedent to hugot, e? that must be diplomacy locsin style: perpetuate a mistake just because it’s convenient, lahat sinisikmura na. locsin is in it now, oiling the wheel and being a cog, he’s part of the machinery now, he might as well enjoy it.
anyway, aside from signing agreement with chinese investors to build casino in boracay, andrea domingo should have insisted and added a clause in the agreement that chinese investors build a mega waste water treatment plant in boracay, subject to strict environmental control. that the chinese should improve vastly the existing sewarage system, updated and upgraded to last the increasing need of all those in boracay, locals and tourists alike say, for another 50yrs.
chinese cannot be stopped from investing, they’ll come and they’ll come and break down the wall if necessary, so task them the environmental clean up. and since chinese cannot be trusted, make it part of the contract that they be subjected to regular and satisfactory environmental checks.
I think, it’s not the investors but the pollution that is the problem. let investors come in, just ensure they clean up and not dumped all their untreated waste in the sea.
It’s naive to think that the Chinese will comply with our environmental laws and standards. Their own big cities suffer from the results of uncontrolled industrialization. Beijing and Shanghai have high levels of air pollution that shutdowns had to be implemented regularly.
We need to ban new construction and limit the number of tourists in Boracay. Direct any new investments, especially casinos which is already plentiful in Metro Manila, somewhere else. Save Boracay!
…casinos which are already plentiful…