Andanar admits having regrets in accepting Cabinet post

MANILA, Philippines - Just like his boss, Presidential Communications Office Secretary Martin Andanar admits having some regrets joining the government.

“It’s like the song of Frank Sinatra, ‘Regrets I’ve had a few. But then again, too few to mention’,” Andanar said over dzMM yesterday.

He went on to sing some lines of “My Way,” which was popularized by Sinatra in 1969, as he was asked whether it could be lonely doing his job.

Despite his regrets, Andanar said he was ready to face his job’s challenges.  

“We know the work of a Cabinet secretary and we accept it,” he added.

Before joining the government, Andanar was a news anchor of TV5 and a host of Radyo 5 News FM.

President Duterte previously said he would not have sought the presidency if he could turn back time.

He also complained that he lost his personal freedom for a small salary.

“You know, if I can go back in time, I would decide not to run for president. Honestly, swear to God. If this is just a bad dream, I hope it is,” Duterte said in a speech delivered in Davao City last June 27. 

There have been criticisms that Andanar and the rest of Duterte’s communication team do not accurately convey the insights of the President to the public.

For instance, Duterte’s officials claimed that he had skipped the Southeast Asian leaders’ meeting with US President Barack Obama in Laos last September because he was not feeling well. The President later on contradicted this, saying he did not attend the event because of Obama, who had been critical of the Philippines’ anti-drug war.

There have also been instances when Duterte’s spokespersons had to hold press briefings to clarify his controversial pronouncements, many of which, they claimed, were “taken out of context.”