Roque quits as presidential spokesperson to pursue 2022 Senate bid

MANILA, Philippines — Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque has resigned from his post, as well as the spokesman of the government’s pandemic task force, to seek a Senate seat in 2022.

He announced his resignation as he confirmed that Monday’s press briefing will be his last since he will be filing his certificate of candidacy for senator before the Commission on Elections in the afternoon.

“Masaya akong mission accomplished tayo. Iiwan ko ang trabaho kong mas mabuti sa ating nadatnan,” he said.

(I am happy to have accomplished this mission. I will leave this job better than how I came upon it.)

He said he has already informed President Rodrigo Duterte and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio of his decision to run for senator in the 2022 elections.

Roque said he never regretted being the mouthpiece of Duterte.

“Never,” when asked if he regrets being Duterte’s presidential spokesperson.

“Because the President is duly elected by the people and a person who has been given the mandate to rule by the people is serving the people. The voice of the people is the voice of God,” he added.

This is his second time quitting as a presidential spokesman to run for senator. In 2019, he also resigned from his post to attempt to seek a Senate seat. However, he eventually withdrew from the race, citing a heart condition.

In the filing of COCs in early October, Roque did not file his COC since he was banking on Davao City mayor Duterte-Carpio to run for the presidency.

Roque had said he will only run for a Senate seat if Duterte-Carpio will run for the presidency.

However, days before the filing of substitution of candidates ended, Duterte-Carpio filed her COC to run for vice president.

She was then adopted as former dictator’s son Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s running mate.

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