(Eagle News) — The Palace on Tuesday, May 8, welcomed the planned return of the P60 million paid by the Department of Tourism to the media production outfit run by the brother of now-resigned Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo. But Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said this does not mean that those involved in the advertisement placement controversy should be absolved of any wrongdoing. “Sa batas po it will not completely exonerate kung mayroon man nalabag,” Roque […]
Tag: Harry Roque
Roque: Ombudsman should investigate gov’t officials cited in COA reports
(Eagle News)–The Palace on Thursday, May 3, urged the Ombudsman to investigate the government officials cited in the Commission on Audit report that red-flagged the placement of P60 million worth of Department of Tourism advertisements in the PTV program of the brothers of Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the Ombudsman should also probe those mentioned in another COA report about alleged excessive travel. The report in particular cited Philippine Health Insurance […]
Roque: Duterte reiterated he was not “abandoning” arbitral tribunal decision on S. China Sea in meeting with Vietnamese PM
(Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte reiterated the Philippines was “not abandoning, not ignoring, not setting aside” the arbitral tribunal decision that favored it over China in the South China Sea dispute. According to Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, the move was done by the President in a bilateral meeting with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on the sidelines of the 32nd Association of Southeast Asian Summit in Singapore. “He will deal with the arbitral […]
“We will work double time,” Roque says following drop in Cabinet’s net satisfaction ratings
(Eagle News)—Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Sunday, April 22, said the Cabinet would work “double-time in highlighting policies and programs of the current administration that have the most impact to the lives of our countrymen.” Roque made the statement following a Social Weather Stations survey that found that Cabinet officials’ net satisfaction rating dropped by 10 points from the +38 they got in December 2017. The 10-point decline was after a drop in their ratings in […]
Panelo: Cayetano, Roque only “expressing concern” about possible link between drug lords, some human rights groups
(Eagle News)–Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo went to the defense of two Cabinet secretaries over their claims some human rights groups may have links to drug syndicates In a statement, Panelo said Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque were only “expressing concern” when they said that human rights group may be “unwitting tools” of drug syndicates to destabilize the government. “We are not dispensing accusatory allegations.They are merely expressing concern […]
Roque: No security threats monitored for long holiday
(Eagle News)—Authorities have not monitored any security threats for the long holiday. This is according to Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, who issued a statement on Saturday. “But we will not put our guard down,” he said. In fact, he said that in anticipation of the “heavy movement of people,” the government “(has) been gearing up security and safety preparations.” “Public safety remains our top priority,” he said. He also encouraged the public to support the […]
Roque: Palace still open to UN inquiry despite UN rights chief’s comment vs Duterte
Says UN rapporteurs should be “impartial, neutral, willing to investigate,” though (Eagle News) — The Palace on Monday said it would still welcome a United Nations inquiry into the government’s war on drugs despite a pronouncement of the UN human rights chief against President Rodrigo Duterte. Roque said, however, that the UN special rapporteurs who, if ever, will look into the same should be “impartial, neutral, and willing to investigate rather than (already have) conclusions and […]
Palace refuses to call on Sereno to resign, but expresses hope she “takes into consideration” sentiments of “all stakeholders”
(Eagle News) — The Palace on Monday refused to specifically call on Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno to resign, saying it was a decision “to be made” by her alone. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, however, expressed hope Sereno would “(take) into consideration the sentiments of everyone, all the stakeholders.” “So far, her colleagues have asked her to go on indefinite leave and the lower court judges have asked her to resign,” Roque said. Roque issued the […]
Roque: “Pangasinan Group” behind sorry state of MRT, according to two sources
(Eagle News) –Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Thursday said two people have come forward to detail what they said were the corrupt activities of a group that led to the sorry state of the Metro Rail Transit. In a press conference, Roque said according to the sources who were engaged in the operations of the MRT 3, the Pangasinan Group siphoned off funds from the P3.8 billion the maintenance contract with Busan Universal Rail Inc. […]
Roque to De Lima: Stop attacking me
(Eagle News) — Stop attacking me. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque had this to say to detained Senator Leila de Lima, with whom he has been engaged in a word war since her first anniversary in detention. “I leave her alone as a matter of policy because she’s in jail. But stop attacking me,” he said in a television interview on Thursday. According to Roque, he “only responds” when she says something about him. “Stop expecting […]
Malacanang says Omidyar’s decision to “donate” PDRs to Rappler, a ‘circumvention of the law”
(Eagle News) – Malacanang said that the donation of a US-based investment firm to controversial online news site Rappler of its investments amounting to $1.5 million would “not remove the fact that Rappler breached the Constitution.” In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said this “act” by Omidyar Network in donating the Philippine Depository Receipts (PDRs) that Rappler had earlier issued to the foreign firm was “nothing but a circumvention of the law.” He […]
Roque to De Lima: Happy first year in detention
(Eagle News)–Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque greeted Senator Leila de Lima a “happy anniversary” as she marks her first year in detention in Camp Crame. In a statement, Roque said the senator’s “incarceration shows that the criminal justice system in the Philippines is alive, effective and working.” “Senator De Lima has been detained because of drug charges. She is the mother of all drug lords by allowing the illegal drug trade to proliferate inside the National Bilibid Prison […]





