President Rodrigo Duterte said Friday he has chosen Philippine Ambassador to the United Nations Teodoro “Boy” Locsin to replace Alan Peter Cayetano as Foreign Affairs secretary.
He made the announcement during a press conference in Davao City upon his arrival from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Leaders’ Gathering in Bali, Indonesia.
“He might not want to announce [his name]. I do not have his permission,” the President said, hesitating to name Locsin.
He then instructed Special Assistant to the President Christopher Go to phone Locsin.
Duterte’s top aide then nodded, implying it is all right to reveal Locsin’s name.
Locsin took to Twitter to comment on Duterte’s statement.
“‹“I was asked I said yes; but love UN, the many friends & intellectual companions I made. But I didn’t say no when asked as I didn’t [know] when he told me I was UN ambassador. If my Tito Chito Ayala trusted him implicitly; how can I not. Still, UN work is like sharpening a blade every day,” said Locsin.
“I will be Secretary of Foreign Affairs which includes the UN; I will have a direct hand until the architecture of sovereign independence in all matters of state that my team started to erect is remitted. The talent that doesn’t exist outside DFA will complete it,” he added.
Cayetano, who has said he will run for Congress with an eye toward becoming Speaker, said he could no longer carry out the functions of his office.
Cayetano, who assumed office in May 2017, said he was proud of his accomplishments as DFA chief.
In a statement, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said Locsin was the “best appointment” in the Duterte administration.
“One of the best appointment ever. Excellent choice. The Philippines cannot be bullied with him as DFA chief,” Sotto said.
Senator JV Ejercito added that the DFA would benefit from Locsin’s long years in public service.
“As our country navigates a world facing trade wars, the resurgence of protectionism, violent extremism, transnational crimes and territorial disputes, I am confident that he can ably represent the interests of the Filipino people before the international community,” Ejercito said in a statement.
Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said Locsin was an excellent choice to replace Cayetano.
“Anyone with a Twitter account knows that Ambassador Locsin does not mince words,” he said.
“I am hoping that Ambassador Locsin will be able to cut through the diplomatic double-talk in order to foster deeper, more meaningful ties with our allies and further advance Philippine interests across the globe,” he said.
Also on Friday, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra welcomed the President’s appointment of former Bureau of Customs commissioner Nicanor Faeldon as the new chief of the Bureau of Corrections.
Faeldon, who is currently the deputy administrator of the Office of Civil Defense, will replace Ronald dela Rosa, who is running for senator in the 2019 elections.
Faeldon, a former military officer, resigned from the BOC last year following the controversy over the smuggling in of P6.4 billion worth of shabu from China.
Meanwhile, Duterte said he still needs to discuss matters with his spokesman, Harry Roque, on whether he should remain in the Cabinet or pursue his political ambitions with a run for the Senate.
In the meantime, he said, he ordered Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo to be his mouthpiece “temporarily.”
“I’ll just talk to him [Roque]. Better. [Ask him] what is it really, running or not running, running or not running,” Duterte told reporters in Davao.
“We still need to talk. Because if we talk now, tomorrow it might change. I’m afraid I might get it wrong… I’m scared to be embarrassed in front of the public,” said Duterte, adding the decision-making between him and Roque is a private thing.
“But the problem is if I announced something now and I haven’t talked to him, I might get it wrong. That’s the thing he said that he was kept in the dark,” he added.
On Tuesday evening, Duterte told Palace reporters that the Palace official attempted to resign after being out of the loop as the President underwent a medical checkup at Cardinal Santos Medical Center last week.
So as not to cause “paralysis” in the government, Duterte then tasked Panelo to be the temporary spokesperson concurrent with his initial post as the President’s’ legal adviser.
“It’s like this. He told me he would run as a senator. So, I said, fine. So, automatic, I thought, ‘Sal, you’re next. Well, if you want it then I’ll scout for another legal adviser,” Duterte said.
But Roque, in a text message to Palace reporters, insisted that he had yet to resign even as Malacañang officials announced that Panelo would serve as the President’s next spokesman.
On Friday afternoon, Panelo showed Palace reporters an executive order citing his functions as the current spokesperson.
The letter, signed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, said his appointment was “effective immediately.”
Roque was reportedly taken aback by the President’s remark that he would not win in the coming elections.
He is in China for a private conference and is expected to return Monday, two days before the deadline for filing of certificates of candidacy for the 2019 polls.
