On-leave Roque seeking audience with Duterte, says presidential aide

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque will seek an audience with President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday, the president's special assistant has said.

Special Assistant to the President Christopher “Bong” Go said Roque would attend the scheduled Cabinet meeting even if the spokesman had gone on leave.

“For me personally he is still weighing his options,” Go told reporters in a phone interview. “Sabi niya he will talk to the President later.”

Roque has gone on leave after he was left out of the loop as regards Duterte's hospital visit for endoscopy and colonoscopy on Wednesday.

The spokesman at a news briefing told reporters that Duterte just took the day-off but the Chief Executive later said that he had tests of his digestive tract at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center.

Over the weekend, Roque again appeared uninformed of Duterte's activities as the Chief Executive went to Hongkong. 

Roque in a message to reporters on Saturday afternoon said that the President was in his hometown Davao City.

Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said Duterte offered Roque the post of the still to be revived Office of the Press Secretary.

Duterte said last Thursday that Roque, a former party-list congressman, should stay in the executive branch because he didn't have a chance at winning a Senate seat.

Roque said on Friday that he had a conversation with Duterte on the new post during the joint military-police command conference last Thursday.

Go, meanwhile, believes that Roque did not harbor ill-feelings toward the President after Roque lamented accusations he lied about Duterte’s visit to a hospital. 

Roque had said he didn't know about the hospital visit.

As for observations that Roque was kept in the dark about the Hong Kong trip, Go appealed to everyone not to make an issue out of it.

“In fairness po kay [Roque] wala talagang nakakaalam na iba kahit sino pong nasa Gabinete wala pong nakakaalam nasaan ang Pangulo," Go said.

"In fairness sa kanya. Huwag na ho natin dagdagan ng intriga kasi wala pong nakakaalam kahit sino,” he added.

Go also said Duterte made a surprise decision to fly to Hong Kong to take a rest and spend time with his family. —NB, GMA News