Is there anything for President Duterte to prove after being in so many debates? INQUIRER.net PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte doesn’t have anything else to prove after participating in numerous presidential debates, Malacañang said Monday after the hashtag #DuterteDuwag trended after he backed out of a challenge he himself put out.
Duterte bowed out of his debate challenged with retired Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and instead called in presidential spokesperson Harry Roque to represent him.
READ: No more face-off: Duterte backs out of debate with Carpio, assigns Roque instead
However, Carpio rejected to have a debate with Roque over what he called “pointless” issues.
READ: Carpio rejects debate with Roque on ‘pointless’ issues
“Unang una, si Presidente po ilang beses na nakadebate noong presidential elections. Wala na pong kailangang patunayan ang Presidente,” Roque said in an online briefing, reacting to the hashtag #DuterteDuwag.
(First off, the President already debated during the elections, so he doesn’t have anything else to prove.)
“He has nothing to prove dahil unlike Associate Justice Carpio who has never debated publicly. Si Presidente po, tapos na siya dyan,” he added.
(He has nothing to prove because, unlike Associate Justice Carpio, who has never debated publicly. The President is done with that.)
Roque urged the public to focus on Duterte’s legal reasons for staying out of the debate.
“As president, everything that he can say, lahat po ng bagay-bagay na puwede niyang banggitin sa debate na yon becomes presidential proclamations and binding. So mahirap naman po yun,” Roque explained.
(As president, everything that he says in the debate becomes presidential proclamations and binding. This presents a difficult situation.)
“Meron talagang mga bagay-bagay na should remain confidential pursuant to executive privilege dahil ang mga desisyon ni Presidente dapat tamang desisyon maski hindi po popular na desisyon,” he added.
(Some matters require executive privilege to remain confidential because the President’s decision must be correct, even if it is not popular.)