Senatorial candidate Harry Roque (File photo)
MANILA – If it were up to him, President Rodrigo R. Duterte wants former presidential spokesperson and senatorial bet Harry Roque to “replace” reelectionist senator and Philippine Red Cross (PRC) chairperson Richard Gordon in the Senate.
“I think you should really be in the Senate…Dapat ‘yan kagaya nila Gordon, palitan mo na ‘yan (You should replace the likes of Gordon),” Duterte told Roque during the second episode of President’s Chatroom aired on state-run PTV-4 on Sunday night.
Duterte slammed Gordon anew for his investigation of the government’s allegedly irregular contracts with Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. to provide medical supplies at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
He said Gordon and other senators grilled his Cabinet officials for hours, wasting time that should otherwise have been used at work.
“The only thing really that I was not in agreement with them was tinatawag nila, nandiyan sa umaga, in the morning, and yet the whole day nakaupo sila doon, hindi sila tinatawag at all (they would summon them, they would be there in the morning and just sit there the whole day without being called),” he said.
Roque, for his part, described the probe conducted by Gordon’s Senate Blue Ribbon committee as done “in aid of election.”
“Wala naman silang kahit anong batas na binuo. Tapos ni hindi man lang nakakuha ng mayorya ng mga senador para pirmahan ‘yung report. So talagang wala pa pong report ‘yan (They didn’t craft any laws. The report didn’t even get the majority of the committee members' signature),” he said.
He said it is also “embarrassing” for Gordon to use the PRC in his political advertisements.
“Nakakahiya po na tayo lang ‘yung mayroong chairman na ginagamit ‘yung Red Cross sa advertisement niya sa eleksiyon (It’s embarrassing that we have a chairman using the Red Cross in his advertisement for elections),” he said.
With Roque in the Senate, Duterte said he could inform the International Red Cross about Gordon’s alleged misdeeds in a privilege speech.
“Kaya gusto ko nandiyan ka sa Senado. Hihingiin ko lang magsabi ka lang ng totoo. Mag-privilege speech ka lang and you just tell the truth and nothing but the truth para malaman ng tao, para malaman ng International Red Cross kung anong ginagawa nitong kumag na ‘to (That’s why I want you to be there in the Senate. I'm just going to ask you to just tell the truth. Just give a privilege speech and tell the truth and nothing but the truth so that people will know so that the International Red Cross will know what he is doing),” he added.
Duterte earlier said Gordon used the PRC as his "milking cow" to fund his election campaign.
‘Fervor to seek justice’
Meanwhile, Duterte vouched for Roque’s “fervor to seek justice” among other qualities that make him a good fit for senator.
“Nakita namin ‘yung fervor mo, ‘yung (We saw your fervor, the), the fire inside you to do justice to everybody. Doon kami bumilib sa iyo (That’s when we started to look up to you),” Duterte told Roque.
Roque, a former House Deputy Minority Leader, earned a reputation for defending the marginalized sector.
He represented the victims of the 2009 Ampatuan massacre, the rape victims of World War II, the kin of murdered transgender Jennifer Laude and the family of murdered broadcaster Gerry Ortega.
“Sinasabi ko sa inyo malaki ang maitulong niyan sa bayan. Roque, kaya niya lahat (I am telling you that he will be a big help to the nation. Roque can do anything). He's an international lawyer. Vote for him. Para sa inyo 'yan, hindi para sa akin (It’s for yourself, not for me),” Duterte added.
He said he also admired Roque’s “well-founded criticism” of him in relation to his controversial war on drugs. As a lawmaker in the lower house, Roque spoke against the anti-narcotics campaign in several speeches.
“I took you in as my spokesman eventually kasi gusto ko ‘yung mga tao na nagsasabi nang totoo sa akin maski na eh magagalit ako ‘yung tingin nila na ito ‘yung kaso mo, ito ‘yung gawain mo (because I like people who tell me the truth even I get angry that this is your case, this is what you’re doing). And you had the temerity to actually criticize me and I like it,” Duterte told Roque.
Roque, who investigated the Davao Death Squad, said he stopped condemning the drug war after finding out that there is no proof linking Duterte to vigilante killings in Davao City.
“Wala naman akong nakitang ebidensiya na (I did not find any evidence that) then Mayor Rodrigo Duterte was behind it,” he said.
He also backed Duterte’s stance that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has no jurisdiction over the Philippines to authorize an investigation into the killings linked to the drug war.
“Ang ICC mayroon lang namang hurisdiksiyon kung ang ating mga lokal na mga institusyon ay hindi gumagana. Ngayon naman po gumagana, nako-convict naman po ‘yung mga pulis na talagang iligal ang pagpapatay (The ICC will only have jurisdiction if our local institutions are not functioning. But they are functioning, and police involved in illegal killings are being convicted),” he added.
Roque is running under the UniTeam senatorial lineup of the tandem of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte. (PNA)
