(Eagle News) – Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, has resigned and decided to run as a party-list representative, instead of running as a senatorial candidate.
In his farewell press briefing in Malacanang on Monday, Oct. 15, Roque announced this, saying he has consulted President Rodrigo Duterte himself and that the President had advised him that it was better for him to run for Congress, instead of the Senate.
“He (Duterte) has advised that the best option right now is to go back to Congress which was really one of my options,” Roque said.
“Masikip talaga ang Senado. (The Senate is really crowded.) We have seven re-electionists and five come-backing senators in addition to the new faces and finance as I said has always been a hindrance,” Roque explained.
“The decision to go for Congress is an advice (from the President that) I took,” he said.
Roque said that he would be running as party-list representative for Luntiang Pilipinas party-list group. The second nominee is singer-actress Ciara Sotto, daughter of Senate President Vicente Sotto III.
He said running for Congress would mean that he can again be “back to the old person I was.”
“It’s difficult not to have your own personality especially when you’re highly opinionated such as myself so an elective mandate will again entail expressing my own views, espousing my own solutions to the many problems of the nation,” Roque said.
“It’s time to be my own person again…I am now back to the old person I was. I knew as spokesman I have no personal views. That period has now ended. I’m able now to freely advocate the many issues that are close to my heart,” he said.
President Duterte earlier told Roque that he should drop his Senate bid, joking that he might not win.
