Abella: No intent to embarrass Duterte on inverted presidential seal episode

President Rodrigo Duterte delivers a speech in a rostrum where the presidential seal has been attached upside down. SCREENGRAB FROM PTV

Malacañang on Saturday said there was no intention to embarrass President Rodrigo Duterte when the presidential seal on his rostrum was placed upside down while delivering a speech in Davao City.

“An error was committed in the installation of the presidential seal at an event in Davao City yesterday (Friday). There was, however, no attempt to embarrass the President,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement.

Duterte was delivering a speech at a tourism event in Davao City on a rostrum where the presidential seal was attached upside down, giving some netizens something to feast on.

“A careful study determined the incident as an act of omission.  Appropriate measures have been taken against those responsible,” Abella said.

He said the offices involved had already apologized for the mistake.

“All offices involved in presidential visits and coverage have, upon meticulous review, instituted procedures to prevent the occurrence of a similar incident. All offices concerned sincerely apologized for the incident and renewed the shared commitment to uphold the highest standard of service and support for the President and all his engagements,” he said.

The speech of the President was aired live by media outfits including the state-run People’s Television and Radio TV Malacañang (RTVM). JPV