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Duterte apologizes for wearing floral polo to event, calls Velasco ‘up-and-coming’ Speaker
President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday apologized for wearing a floral polo to the inauguration of the Bataan Government Center and Business Hub in Balanga City.
Duterte said his protocol officers decide what he should wear for an occasion.
“Before anything else, I’d like to apologize for my attire. I do not know why it’s protocol who says what I should wear for an event. Inilalagay na ho nila sa kama ko. And I thought it was just an outdoor [event],” he told the guests, who were mostly garbed in formal Filipiniana attire.
Duterte, meanwhile, called Marinduque Representative Lord Allan Velasco as the “up-and-coming Speaker of the House of Representatives, a position being held by Taguig Representative Alan Peter Cayetano who was not present in the event.
“The Honorable members of the House of Representatives; the up-and-coming Speaker of the House tutal wala man dito si Aquino—ay, si [Speaker Alan Peter] Cayetano. Biro lang,” the President said.
Velasco is expected to take over the top House post after Cayetano's 15-month term, which began in July.
Also called “The Bunker,” the government center and business hub houses national and local government agencies, government financial institutions, private partners and a one-stop service center for overseas Filipino workers.
“Be assured that the national government will continue to implement measures that will empower our citizenry to engage more proactively in programs that will ensure the safety and security of our communities,” Duterte said.
“I ask the people of Bataan to remain as active participants in the challenging task of nation-building. Together, let us work hand in hand in ensuring that every Filipino will achieve meaningful and dignified lives.” — BM, GMA News
