Duterte no-show at Kris interview ‘unintended’—Palace
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte. Presidential Photo
“The Punisher” did not stand up “The Queen of All Media” on their first date.
Malacañang made this clear on Sunday as it described as “unfortunate” the last-minute cancellation of President Duterte’s scheduled interview with actress-television host Kris Aquino at a business forum in Davao City last Friday.
In fact, Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said, the entire state broadcast units had prepared for the much-anticipated event, which was supposed to be shown live on TV5 and the government-run People’s Television Network (PTV4).
“There was really no intention to snub Kris Aquino… It just so happened that the President was not feeling well,” Andanar said over state radio dzRB.
“We were also anticipating the guesting of the President… It’s just unfortunate that he was not able to attend,” he said. “The whole force of the government was supporting the program… PTV4, RTVM (Radio-Television Malacañang), Radyo ng Bayan and the protocol officers were all there.”
Aquino, the youngest sister of Mr. Duterte’s predecessor, former President Benigno Aquino III, played down the incident, joking that not all first dates go ahead as planned.
Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said the President had to skip the event, which was set for 4 p.m., after he experienced migraine.
Interestingly, Mr. Duterte was up and about a few hours later as he attended a gathering held in honor of the charity works of his mother, the late anti-Marcos leader Soledad Duterte, also in Davao.
At the event, the President did not mention that he had suffered migraine but said he had just come from the mountains and was slowed down by the heavy rains.
“I had to go to a place where we had a hard time negotiating [the way down]. It was raining very hard in the mountains and you could just not make it on time. If you want to make it faster, I might not have made it tonight,” he told his audience.
Mr. Duterte’s aides had used the same excuse when the Chief Executive did not show up at the meeting of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) leaders with US President Barack Obama on the sidelines of the Asean Summit in Vientiane, Laos, in September.
The President later revealed that he had purposely ignored the meeting because he wanted to “disrespect” Obama after the US government criticized the alleged human rights abuses linked to the Duterte administration’s ruthless drug war.
Nonetheless, Andanar said Aquino’s interview with Mr. Duterte may still happen in the future.
“Anything is a possibility. Everything is a possibility. The planned interview with Kris Aquino was on the board at least a month before,” he said. JE/rga
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