USEC. ROCKY IGNACIO: Good morning Malacañang Press Corps, kasama na natin si Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo.
SEC. PANELO: Good morning, MPC. I’m ready.
PRINCE GOLEZ/ABANTE: Sir, good morning. Sir in a CNN Philippine interview, you mentioned that the Vice President Leni Robredo can only attend the Cabinet meeting if there is an agenda on drugs. Can you elaborate what the President told you, sir?
SEC. PANELO: Hindi, kasi when we have a Cabinet meeting, we are invited by the CabSec and we are asked if we are going or not. In other words, it’s optional for us to attend, because if it’s not your topic there, you’ll have to stay there for the rest of the meeting until the wee hours of the morning. Kung hindi ka naman kasama doon sa agenda, mas masaya siguro kung hindi ka na a-attend. Kaya that’s why I said you should be thankful, pupunta ka lang kung ano mo… topic mo.
PRINCE GOLEZ/ABANTE: Is there a recent invitation sir for the Vice President to attend the Cabinet meeting?
SEC. PANELO: Wala pa. Hindi ba sabi ni Presidente, “I’ll invite her myself.”
JOYCE BALANCIO/DZMM: So meaning, Vice President Robredo will not be given a chance to give her comments sa other projects of the administration dahil—for example, kung hindi naman nasa agenda iyong drugs, ibig sabihin hindi siya puwedeng magsabi ng opinyon niya or suggestion?
SEC. PANELO: Bakit naman hindi? Sino naman nagsabi sa’yong hindi puwede?
JOYCE BALANCIO/DZMM: Hindi sir, sabi ninyo po kasi if… kung—
SEC. PANELO: It doesn’t mean naman you are not in the Cabinet meeting, you cannot comment. Because there is a transcript for that and that is given to all members of the Cabinet. So if you feel like commenting on any topic, you can do that.
JOYCE BALANCIO/DZMM: How, sir?
SEC. PANELO: O susmaryosep, ano ba namang tanong ‘yan. How? Eh ‘di mag-issue ka ng statement o gumawa ka ng memorandum addressed to whom so ever you want.
JOYCE BALANCIO/DZMM: Thank you, sir.
MARICEL HALILI/TV5: Sir earlier, we were informed that the President will go to North Cotabato tomorrow to meet with farmers. What happened sir, bakit siya nag-reschedule?
SEC. PANELO: Ang alam ko kahapon whole day siyang nagtrabaho, paper work. ‘Yun, baka hindi niya natapos iyong kaniyang mga binabasa—eh puwede naman i-reschedule eh. Kumbaga, ni-reschedule lang, so doon pa rin iyon.
MARICEL HALILI/TV5: Okay. Pero aside doon sa North Cotabato, mayroon pa ba siyang expected na ibang event outside Davao?
SEC. PANELO: Hindi ko alam. Hindi ko alam ‘yun. I was not given the schedule.
MARICEL HALILI/TV5: But iyong rescheduling sir, definitely it has nothing to do with the health condition of the President?
SEC. PANELO: No. It has something to do with what he was doing yesterday. He was reading briefs, documents, pouring over them.
MARICEL HALILI/TV5: So tomorrow po, expected lang po si Presidente to stay at home and continue his paper work?
SEC. PANELO: Actually nasa kaniya iyon eh, siya nagde-decide kung anong gustong gawin niya.
MARICEL HALILI/TV5: Okay. Thank you, sir.
CHONA YU/RADIO INQUIRER: Sir si Congressman Salceda, sabi niya he will file a bill to grant emergency powers for the President para sa Build, Build, Build Program. Anong take ng Palace dito?
SEC. PANELO: As I said, I will ask the President. ‘Di ba iyon ang sabi ko sa’yo kahapon. Hindi ko pa siya nakakausap eh. I’ll ask him.
CHONA YU/RADIO INQUIRER: Pero sir, is there any necessity na magkaroon siya ng emergency powers para ma-push iyong Build, Build, Build Program considering na—
SEC. PANELO: Sa tingin ko maganda iyong kay Congressman Salceda, kasi nga one of the reasons why na bumabagal iyong projects kasi iyong right of way. Nagkakaproblema iyong mga owners, ayaw pumayag; iyong iba nagti-TRO… pero kung may powers na, dire-diretso ang trabaho.
CHONA YU/RADIO INQUIRER: And kung mayroon siya sir, mas mapapadali ito—
SEC. PANELO: Eh siyempre! Yeah.
CHONA YU/RADIO INQUIRER: Mami-meet niya sir iyong mga priorities—iyong mga flagship projects niya sa 2022?
SEC. PANELO: Oo nga, kasi nga iyon ang one of the reasons why nadi-delay.
ALVIN BALTAZAR/RADYO PILIPINAS: Good morning, Secretary. Sir, may apela ang ilang mambabatas sa Palasyo na pag-aralan iyong revival ng 4-day workweek. Anong reaksiyon natin dito, Secretary? Open ba tayo?
SEC. PANELO: Pag-aaralan iyon ng MMDA eh. MMDA ang nag-aano nun eh, kung ano rekomendasyon nila. Wala pa, they are still under study.
ALVIN BALTAZAR/RADYO PILIPINAS: Pero sa side ng Palace sir, are you okay?
SEC. PANELO: Exactly! We will wait for their recommendation.
USEC. ROCKY IGNACIO: Wala nang tanong, MPC? Thank you, Secretary Panelo. Thank you, MPC. Back to our main studio sa Radyo Pilipinas and People’s Television Network.
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Source: PCOO-NIB (News and Information Bureau-Data Processing Center)
