From national address to one-on-one talk: Palace announcement confuses public

By
Rosette Adel(Philstar.com)
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President Rodrigo Duterte discusses the pressing concerns of the country during a dialogue with Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo at the Malacañan Palace on Sept. 11, 2018.
Robinson Niñal Jr./Presidential Photo

MANILA, Philippines — Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque earlier announced that President Rodrigo Duterte would like to “speak to the nation.”

What Roque said

In a press briefing on Monday, Roque said Duterte expressed willingness to address the nation. He said Duterte made the announcement in a speech in Davao last week.

Roque said this would be held on Tuesday at around 3 p.m. in a form of a press briefing. This was also scheduled an hour before the Cabinet meeting.

The presidential spokesman did not disclose the topics that would be discussed by Duterte but he clarified that the scheduled press briefing might still change depending on the schedule of the president.

Roque also said the daily Malacañang press briefing would be deferred for the national address.

This announcement prompted speculations from Filipinos who questioned the timeliness of the national address amid the issues on rice crisis, inflation and revocation of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV’s amnesty.

Some also cited that the public address coincides with the birthday of late dictator Ferdinand Marcos Sr.

What SAP Bong Go said

On Monday evening, however, reports quoted Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go as saying the nationwide public address will be “showbiz type.”

What Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo said

Almost an hour before the public address, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo in a televised interview said he was on his way to Malacañang as he was asked to moderate the press briefing.

Asked for the topics to be discussed, Panelo replied that they might tackle pressing issues in the country.

“I’m sure it involves issues of the day issues that confront the nation,” Panelo said in an interview with CNN Philippines.

Panelo said he was not really aware that he would moderate the briefing as there wasn’t one on the schedule.

“I did not know what I am involved here. Whatever, if they want me to ask questions I have many questions to ask,” Panelo said in mixed Filipino and English.

In a separate interview, Panelo said that among the topics that might be taken up during the press conference were the rising commodity prices and Duterte’s decision to declare the amnesty given by the previous administration to Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV void.

Panelo said that as far as he knows, there would be no speech.

“My understanding is there will only be a question and answer portion,” he added.

Panelo explained that Duterte only requested for the public address so that he can have more time to explain the pressing issues.

“Alam mo sa tingin ko lang ha si preisdente kasi ang tagal nang hindi nakakausap ang media to expound his views, his positions on many things,” Panelo said.

“Ang nangyayari kasi ambush, interviews – kulang ang oras na magpaliwanag kung minsan pag pupunta siya sa foreign trips departure statement may konti lang na mga tanong, tapos maiiksi, tapos arrival ganu’n din o sige para masagot ko na mga tanong ng mga media,” he added.

According to former Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abi Valte, “a national address is one of the best weapons available to a sitting president.”

“It must be used wisely, and sparingly, otherwise it loses it impact. It is reserved for times when a president needs the full attention of the nation,” Valte wrote on her Twitter account.

Palace cancels press briefing

At 1:59 p.m., about an hour before Duterte’s scheduled press briefing, a Palace official told reporters that the announced national address would no longer push through.

"I would like to relay that the PRRD Press Conference today is no longer included in today's activities,” Communications Undersecretary Feducia Mia Reyes-Lucas told the reporters in a press message.

Roque says Duterte press briefing now modified

At around 2:20 p.m., Roque clarified that no cancellation of the national address occurred as it was modified into a tête-à-tête between Duterte and Panelo which would be held at 3:15 p.m.

The presidential spokesman also said questions of the press would be collected and only the state-run PTV 4, close-in writers and the Palace are allowed to cover.

The modified press briefing confused the public anew who criticized the Palace’s contradicting statements on the “nation address.”

Duterte’s one-on-one talk with Duterte starts

At 3:49 p.m., Duterte’s tete-a-tete began minutes before the scheduled Cabinet meeting.

The president discussed previous issues with Panelo including the rice crisis, amnesty and the supposed destabilization plot, among others.

It lasted for almost two hours with no new announcement from the president. It ended at around 5:35 p.m.

The one-on-one talk earned mixed reactions from the public who lamented how it became a public rant while others praised Panelo for conducting a good interview with the president.

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