Volume 1, Issue No. 39
OPINION/COMMENTARY
/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /
. . . . . A community service of The Filipino Web Channel (TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail. com) and the Philippine Village Voice (PhilVoiceNews@gmail.com) for the information and understanding of Filipinos and the diverse communities in North America . . .
Our latest as of Sunday, April 19, 2020
~ Harry Roque is candor personified. Early this week, the human rights lawyer and advocate returned to his former haunts in Malacanang Palace in Manila as presidential spokesman, a position he had previously held, then relinquished to run for the Senate, and quit prior to the polls for health reasons. On Monday, April 13, 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte signed the papers appointing him to the post. His presence there indicates the government's commitment to freedom of expression.
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ATTORNEY HARRY ROQUE
Celebrating The Return of Candor
By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ
Editor, The Filipino Web Channel
“Keep everything open and live from openness to openness.” ―
TORONTO - Philippine lawyer Harry Roque is back in the saddle in Malacanang Palace as spokesman for President Rodrigo Duterte. (Full story at: https://tribune.net.ph/index.php/2020/04/14/spox-again/).
It's a cause for celebration as far as I'm concerned, for with him up there, one feels assured the freedom of expression and the freedom of the press are safeguarded no less by a rights advocate.
"For a second time, I accepted the appointment to be the presidential spokesman," he explained in a commentary in Manila's Daily Tribune on Tuesday, April 14, 2020. "I did so," he explained, "for the same reason that I accepted the original appointment: to do so would be to promote freedom of expression and the corollary right of the people to information on matters affecting them".
That statement is very heartening despite the incessant whinings by left-leaning groups, including those categorized as "Yellowtards" in and out of government, about the alleged loss of those fundamental freedoms exemplified by the controversy over the application of ABS-CBN network to renew its franchise.
Their informal alliance makes them "strange bedfellows". Indeed, their common aspiration to undermine President Duterte and his administration is the glue that binds them. I believe Secretary Roque, with his background as a human rights lawyer and congressman, would be in the best position to pacify them.
During his first term as presidential spox, I'd watched him preside over this daily ritual with a fawning press corps and knew right there and then he was fearless but patient enough to impart his wisdom. He is one of those knowledgeable and effective communicators for the chief executive due in part to his knowledge of the law and international conventions.
I've had a long experience with presidential spokesmen and press secretaries while covering Malacanang Palace as a foreign correspondent during the sunset years of Ferdinand Marcos (1965-1986), through the whole term of Corazon Aquino (1986-1992) and the inception of Fidel Ramos (1992-1998). Midway through Ramos' term, I had already moved to California.
My readers might wonder why I use the adjective "fawning" to describe the palace press corps. No offense there, please. I'm simply recalling the adversarial nature of press conferences at that time with Marcos' spox Francisco Tatad; Cory Aquino's Teddy Locsin Jr., aka Teddy Boy, Teddy Benigno aka Teddy Man, Rene Saguisag, and Adolfo Azcuna; and Ramos' Rod Reyes.
Perhaps the present time with President Duterte is much different in many ways from the situation then. The revolutionary fervor from People Power and the series of coups had not dissipated and members of the foreign press corps were not exactly friendly with whoever sat at the palace.
Secretary Roque had distinguished himself in the twelve months that he had held the post as presidential spokesman in 2017, resigning only for a run for senator of the republic, but withdrew for health reasons before the election took place.
I had some limited interaction with him early last month. I had written him a letter requesting his permission to republish selected articles for Periodico Pilipino, the newest Filipino newspaper in the Greater Toronto Area which has hired me as editor-in-chief.
Due to financial constraints, I had to abandon my earlier plan to get him to write for the paper outside of his media outlets in Manila. I was trying to avoid a common practice among Filipino newspapers in Toronto of reprinting articles from Philippine newspapers without permission and then making it appear like they write for them.
In my view as a journalist and editor, Periodico would be a lot different from existing publications. I would raise the bar by setting ethical standards in newspaper publishing and adhering to high moral principles. Secretary Roque very well fits this profile.
I also took pains to have the articles of Manila Times columnist Rigoberto Tiglao to be in Periodico to give readers here an understanding of his progressive views. Mr. Tiglao is a former ambassador, press secretary, and presidential spokesman for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Within hours of my requests by email, Atty. Roque and Ambassador Tiglao accepted and allowed me to publish any item from their archives in the Daily Tribune and the Manila Times, respectively.
The powerhouse that I envisioned for Periodico was now in the process of building up with the addition of the two popular columnists in Manila. I was careful about selecting people who would write for the paper, knowing many of the names in staff boxes of Filipino newspapers are deadbeats.
And so it is most welcome news from Manila to know that Atty. Harry Roque is back again as presidential spokesman.
He best describes what he's going to do: "So, aside from informing the people, the job now entails inspiring the people and assuring them that all resources of government are being harnessed to uplift their plight in this challenging time . . . I am humbled with this latest appointment but determined to make a difference". (Copyright 2020. All Rights Reserved).
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