Roque to discuss late-night airing of Duterte's briefings with press corps

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said Thursday he would consult with Malacañang reporters on the schedule of the airing of President Rodrigo Duterte’s future public addresses on COVID-19 and other national issues.

Roque gave the commitment after Senator Nancy Binay urged the Palace to review the effectiveness of the current practice of airing Duterte’s pre-recorded speeches late at night. Duterte’s one-hour address this week aired on state-run PTV and was streamed online beginning 1 a.m. Wednesday.

The Palace official said he preferred that Duterte’s speech be aired at 8 a.m. the following day.

However, Roque claimed that some members of the Malacañang Press Corps pushed that the speech should be aired late at night rather than the following day.

“What happened po is nagkaroon ako ng konsultasyon sa ilang miyembro ng Malacañang Press Corps, marami ang nagsabi na mas gusto nila na on the day itself, kahit anong oras ay ipalabas iyan. Pero ngayon po talaga ay mag-uusap naman po kami,” Roque said.

“Ang posisyon ko po ay hindi nagbabago. I prefer na the following day, at 8 in the morning, para regular na pong aabangan ng taumbayan.”

Roque promised after he rejoined government in April that he would work for the earlier broadcast of the President's weekly address. -NB, GMA News