The Palace on Tuesday withdrew the public endorsement given by President Rodrigo Duterte to senatorial aspirant Freddie Aguilar weeks after the ruling party PDP-Laban disowned the folk singer’s nomination.
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the President did not endorse Aguilar’s Senate bid to the public.
“He [Duterte] did not tell them to vote for him [Aguilar]. What he said was, the messages of the songs of Freddie Aguilar have social content. And he’s good, brilliant,” he said in a Palace press briefing.
Panelo, however, said the President was only vouching for the OPM icon’s capability to run as a senator.
“He was just expressing his opinion on the qualification of the person,” said Panelo.
Following questions of authenticity of Aguilar’s political party, Panelo said the President did not endorse Aguilar as a candidate under PDP-Laban.
He added that the president has the freedom to publicly endorse a candidate as he deems fit.
“From what I know, the PDP Laban has not yet released a complete lineup. So given that, the President certainly has the right to endorse someone he feels should be endorsed,” he said.
He reiterated that Duterte did not endorse Aguilar’s candidacy in the 2019 midterm elections.
“He did not say to vote for him in the elections… He only said to consider,” said Panelo, as he even asked for a transcript of Duterte’s remarks for thorough interpretation.
After reading an official transcript given by the Palace reporters, Panelo remained firm that Duterte did not made such endorsement.
“He [Duterte] may not be referring to an election. He may be referring to you people to vote for this man as an outstanding man,” said Panelo.
On Monday evening, Duterte pleaded to the public to give Aguilar a chance to translate his socially-relevant songs in the Congress. The President even raised the singer’s right hand to vouch for his candidacy in the upcoming elections.
“Vote for Freddie Aguilar,” he said in the inauguration of the Paranaque Integrated Terminal Exchange.
During the filing of the certificate of candidacy (COC), PDP-Laban public information officer Ron Munsayac said the ruling party did not issue a certificate of nomination and acceptance (CONA) to Aguilar.
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) requires that a candidate should provide a CONA, alongside with the COC, to prove that he is, indeed, is a candidate for a specific party.
Aguilar had presented to Comelec a CONA signed by Wilfredo Talag who claimed to be PDP-Laban’s secretary general.
But PDP-Laban president Aquilino Pimentel III had said that there is a “breakaway” faction in the party.