After denying that President Rodrigo Duterte had endorsed Freddie Aguilar, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo on Wednesday admitted that Duterte had indeed endorsed the folk singer’s senatorial bid.
“The President has made a statement backing Freddie Aguilar on his bid by acknowledging the latter’s brilliance and nationalism… We stand by this pronouncement,” Panelo said in a statement.
He took back his remark that Duterte had only asked the public to vote for Aguilar as an outstanding man.
“I was only saying that in jest,” Panelo said in a separate interview. He said Duterte’s endorsement was not a form of premature campaigning.
“Even if what the President said is an endorsement in relation to Aguilar’s Senate bid, it cannot be a violation of election laws,” Panelo said.
He cited the case of Penera vs. Comelec where the Supreme Court ruled that an election aspirant could only be considered a candidate once the campaign period started.
Panelo also said the Palace did not retract Duterte’s expression of support for Aguilar, and that the President could support other aspiring senators outside the PDP-Laban that he deemed fit and qualified.
He said the ruling party PDP-Laban had not come up with a full slate of candidates for the Senate yet.
“This is the reason why we explained the President’s pronouncement as a mere request addressed to the people to support Mr. Aguilar as an outstanding man, the latter not being considered as a candidate yet under our laws,” Panelo said.
He issued the statement after some reports said he had seemingly withdrawn Duterte’s endorsement of the folk singer.
