Palace defends Duterte absence from Edsa events
MANILA, Philippines — Why force President Rodrigo Duterte to attend the Edsa People Power anniversary celebrations if he doesn’t want to?
Malacañang on Sunday defended the Chief Executive’s choice to skip the rites for the past three years, saying it made no sense to compel him to attend it against his will.
“If he doesn’t want to attend it, then why should we force him?” asked presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo in response to questions about Duterte’s skipping the rites since assuming office in 2016.
Panelo said he had yet to ask the President about his reason for not attending the rites for the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution, an event that commemorates the fall of his idol, Ferdinand Marcos, from power.
Last week, the Palace official said Duterte was likely to skip the 34th anniversary of the Edsa People Power celebration for the fourth year in a row and just “work from home.”
Panelo said he had not seen any schedule for the Chief Exe¬cutive to attend any Edsa-related event on Feb. 25, the day Marcos left for exile in Hawaii and the fall of his regime in 1986.
Friend of Marcoses
Duterte is a known friend and supporter of the Marcoses. The President’s father, Vicente, had been a member of the Marcos Cabinet, while his mother, Soledad, supported the opposition.
In 2019, the President endorsed the senatorial candidacy of then Ilocos Norte Gov. Imee Marcos, who backed his presidential bid in 2016.
Shortly after winning the election, the Chief Executive in 2016 allowed the burial of Marcos at Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City despite public outrage.
Panelo played down Saturday’s rally at the People Power Monument in which critics of the President demanded his resignation. Police said the protesters numbered about 100.
“That’s what we’ve been saying. It’s just a pipe dream and a wishful thinking. They can always try, but they can’t do it,” Panelo said.
The protesters belonged to Kilusan Kontra Tsina, Oust Duterte Movement, Bunyog and Confederation Against Federalism.
