MANILA, Philippines — After receiving criticisms on conflicting statements from too many spokespersons, Malacañang clarified Thursday that only Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella can speak on behalf of President Rodrigo Duterte.
Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar asked the media in a press conference to direct clarificatory questions regarding the president's pronouncements to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), to which Abella's office belongs.
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"'Yung pakiusap ko lang po doon sa Gabinete ay, at inaprubahan naman ng presidente, na kung merong mga clarificatory questions ‘yung media, halimbawa may sinabi ang pangulo the day before at meron tanong ang media na 'ano po ba talaga ang ibig sabihin 'non?' ay i-direct, i-refer po kami, i-refer po sa PCO. Para 'yung PCO na ho ang magde-desisyon kung papano [sasagutin]. Para hindi ho naiba 'yung sinabi ni Secretary 'X,' iba 'yung sinabi ni Secretary 'Y,'" Andanar said.
"Secretary Ernie Abella and myself, we are a team, and then we will huddle together and we will compose, we will craft the message or the clarification that you need," he added.
If an issue requires a comprehensive explanation, the Communications secretary said that the PCO could tap the Cabinet secretary expert in the said field to clarify.
Duterte's communications team has been under fire recently for issuing differing statements on controversial issues raised by the president.
Last week, officials gave contrasting explanations on whether the state of lawless violence the president declared after the Davao blast covers the whole country or only Mindanao.
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The administration also failed to reach a unified voice in explaining what the president meant when he said US troops should leave Mindanao.
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Some said the president was worried for their welfare given the presence of terror group Abu Sayyaf on the island, while others stated that the president was coming from the context that the US has not apologized to the Philippines for past atrocities, in particular the Bud Dajo massacre in 1906 when about 1,000 Moros in Sulu died. — Levi A. So