MANILA — Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Monday clarified a report stating that Petersoon Poon, his top pick to be his deputy spokesman, has backed out from the post being offered to him.
Roque made the clarification in response to a report by online news site Rappler quoting him saying that Poon “decided not to join” Duterte’s Cabinet.
The spokesman, however, said that this did not mean that Poon “backed out” since he was never appointed in the first place.
“He was never appointed. So walang umatras (nobody backed out),” Roque said.
It may be recalled that Poon was first introduced to reporters as incoming deputy spokesperson when he accompanied Roque to Aurora Province on May 15.
This was also the same day President Rodrigo R. Duterte sent off an all-Filipino marine scientists team to conduct a one-month maritime scientific research (MSR) in the Philippine Rise, formerly known as Benham Rise.
Last year, Roque said that he wanted his deputy spokesman to be a “millennial” and “better-looking” than him.
Roque said he needed a spokesman since he could not be in Malacañang all the time as he frequently joins Duterte in his trips and is invited to hold press conferences all over the country. (PNA)
