Duterte to Roque: You won’t win Senate seat, soldiers do not want you

President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday belittled the chances of Palace spokesperson Harry Roque of winning in next year's senatorial elections as he asked him to take another job in the administration instead.

"Si Roque, gusto mag-senador. Sabi ko, 'Tama ka na. T— ina diyan. Standby ka. Bigyan kita ibang trabaho. Hindi ka manalo diyan'," Duterte said in a speech before alumni of the Philippine Military Academy in Malacañang.

"Bakit? 'Ah ‘yung mga sundalo ayaw sa iyo," the President added, drawing laughter from the audience.

At a press briefing on Friday, Roque confirmed that President offered him a post that still "does not exist" yet "still related to being a spokesperson."

Roque also gave his thoughts on whether he was surprised by Duterte's decision given that the President had been openly endorsing him as a potential senatorial candidate. 

"Yes and no, because when I came on board it was clear it was to be for a year," Roque said.

"And the general context was in fact to prepare me for what would happen a year later. But I also was not surprised because I knew that he also wanted me to stay and to continue with my undertaking."

Roque characterized the manner by which the President expressed his view on his spokesperson's possible senatorial run as "typical Duterte."

"[C]ariño brutal if you need to put it, but I think he has sent the message that he prefers that I stay," Roque said.

He said he will take the weekend to think things through and that he will announce his decision on October 8, three days before the start of filing of certificates of candidacy for next year's polls.

Roque said on September 24 that the elections in the country remain to be a popularity contest after he did not make it to the list of probable winners in a survey conducted months before the midterm polls.

He failed to barge into the winning circle of 12 in the September 1 to 7 survey by independent pollster Pulse Asia, ranking between 29th and 36th with an awareness rating of 76 percent. —NB, GMA News