Senators say DFA should be ‘lone voice’ on foreign policy

Why is presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo speaking about foreign policy? “Secretary of Foreign Affairs [Teodoro Locsin Jr.] should assert that, other than President [Duterte], he is the single spokesperson in so far as foreign relations is concerned given the very sensitive nature of his work,” Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said during deliberations on the Department of Foreign Affairs’ (DFA) budget on Monday night. There should be message discipline so that the country would only have one policy direction, to be made public by the DFA, Drilon said. Discussing the issue during the budget deliberations was one way to let Mr. Duterte know the Senate’s position on the issue, Sen. Richard Gordon said.—LEILA B. SALAVERRIA