Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro ” Teddy boy” Locsin Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
President Rodrigo Duterte wanted Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. to “be truthful,” Malacañang said Thursday, as the former United Nations envoy assumed the post as the country’s top diplomat.
Locsin took his oath before Duterte in Malacañang on Wednesday afternoon.
“I was there at the oath-taking yesterday and the conversation was like this: ‘I’m honored with your appearance today. And there is only one message that I would like to give you and that is: ’Be truthful.’ Nothing more,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a Palace briefing.
“He said, he appoints members of the Cabinet on the basis of truth and competence. That was the only message,” he added.
Panelo said Duterte wanted Locsin and every Cabinet member to be “straight forward” like him.
“I think what PRRD means is that every Cabinet member should be like him–a straight forward person–he tells exactly what he feels when he meets with foreign leaders,” he said.
“He is honest with his position. He calls a spade a spade. Walang ‘cheche bureche’ [nothing unnecessary]. Always straight to the point without blinking an eye,” he added.
He said “there was no time” for Duterte and Locsin to have “any discussion” on other matters because the diplomat was supposed to leave for Belgium.
Asked about the President’s orders to Locsin on his indepenedent foreign policy, Panelo said his policy has not changed since he assumed office.
“With respect to the foreign policy, I think the new DFA knows exactly the marching orders of the President. There has been no change from the time that secretaries have been appointed at the Department of Foreign Affairs. From former Secretary Yasay, to former Secretary Alan, and to him,” he said. /jpv
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