Palace on Bedan appointees: Public interest first for Duterte

Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella. KING RODRIGUEZ/ Presidential Photo

Malacañang on Thursday dismissed claims that President Rodrigo Duterte was only inclined to appoint members of the government from his alma mater— San Beda College.

Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said Duterte sets aside his “personal interest” in appointing members of the administration.

“You know, it’s never a matter of personal interest, it’s always public interest first,” Abella told reporters in a Palace briefing.

“So from what we can see, from his gauge — [this is] for public interest first. He must probably had seen that these classmates – these schoolmates are – you know, were within the standards that he demanded of,” he added.

The Palace official assured Duterte’s appointees were “not just confined within his alma mater.”

“But again and again, he has said that he has a very limited… not very limited… his knowledge of contacts is limited within a certain scope,” he said.

The President earlier appointed two alumni from the San Beda College as new magistrates of the Supreme Court.

Supreme Court Associate Justices Samuel Martires and Noel Tijam were appointed to the high court to complete the 15-member high tribunal.

READ: Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Samuel Martires appointed to SC

Despite appointing two Bedan, Abella said Duterte remained to be “a man who listens.”

“(L)ike I said, he is a man who listens. He is a man who’s deeply interested. He is a man who studies his subject matter and certainly he can go beyond his alma mater,” he said. JE/rga