The Duterte administration does not need the advice of former Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II regarding ways to address the country’s soaring inflation especially since his suggestions were nothing new, Malacañang said Monday.
In an open letter on Facebook, Roxas, who lost to Duterte in the 2016 presidential elections, called for a “timeout” and suggested ways to address the increasing prices of rice, which was being blamed for the 6.4% inflation in August.
“Who told him he’s the only one who said that? Basahin niyo naman ‘yung sinabi niya, hindi ba sinabi na rin ‘yan ng mga economic team?” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a Palace briefing.
Last week, Roque had already said Roxas should just “shut up” rather than make redundant suggestions to the government.
READ: Palace to Roxas: Shut up
“Kaya when I told him to shut up, it’s because we do not need his advice, because the same advice has been given by government, by the economic team of the President,” he said. “So it’s not as if he has the monopoly of solutions.”
Roque again slammed Roxas for his alleged mishandling of the aftermath of super typhoon “Yolanda” in November 2013.
“Peron natatandaan ko talaga noong panahon ng Yolanda hindi siya nagbigay ng solusyon,” he said.
Yolanda, the strongest typhoon to hit land, devastated the Visayas in 2013 and claimed the lives of at least 6,000 people. /kga