Roque denies ‘intruding’ in foreign affairs after Locsin tells him to ‘lay off’

MANILA, Philippines — Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque on Tuesday defended his remarks on foreign affairs issues, saying it would be hard to stay mum when he speaks for President Rodrigo Duterte, whom he described as “the chief architect of foreign policy.”

Roque said this after Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. told him to “lay off” foreign affairs matters as he is “not competent” in that field.

“I am not listening to Harry Roque. Love the guy but he’s not competent in this field. We do not go back to The Hague. We might lose what we won. Harry, lay off,” Locsin said.

In an online Palace briefing, Roque said in jest: “I love him back, even more so. Tisoy kasi eh ‘no?”

“Anyway, ang sa akin naman po, the President is the chief architect of foreign policy pero hindi po tayo naghihimasok.”

(Anyway, for me, the President is the chief architect of foreign policy but we are not interfering.)

“I think I was very clear that I was not intruding. Pero pasensya na po. [With the President] as chief architect of foreign policy, napakahirap naman po kung tayo ay tikom sa mga bagay-bagay na ito. But of course, we always defer to the line agency as far as actual policies to be implemented are concerned,” he went on.

(I think I was very clear that I was not intruding. But I’m sorry. With the President as the chief architect of foreign policy, it’s hard to stay mum on these things. But of course, we always defer to the line agency as far as actual policies to be implemented are concerned.)

Locsin’s “lay off” remark towards Roque was triggered by the Palace official’s pronouncement that the Philippines could raise to a United Nations tribunal China’s new law that allows its coast guard to fire at foreign vessels in Chinese-claimed reefs.

But Roque also noted that the decision to do so still lies on the Department of Foreign Affairs and the ministry of foreign affairs of other Southeast Asian countries.

READ: Palace: Talks on SCS code of conduct to go on despite new China Coast Guard law

Locsin has already filed a diplomatic protest against China’s new coast guard law, deeming it a “verbal threat of war to any country that defies” it.

But China’s Embassy in the Philippines hit what it termed as “false accusations” against the new China law. It insisted that China’s new coast guard law conforms to international conventions and is not specifically targeted at any certain country.

KGA