PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte explained Sunday night that it was his "personal decision" to replace Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella.
In a pre-departure interview before he left the country for a three-day official visit to Japan, Duterte said he does not need to further elaborate his reasons as to why he replaced Abella with Kabayan party-list Representative Harry Roque.
"The reason is my personal decision. I am not about to explain why I did it," the President told reporters in Davao City.
It was reported that Duterte replaced Abella because of the latter's supposed incompetence to deal with the media when Social Weather Stations reported that his performance and trust ratings fell by two digits during the third quarter of this year.
Since rumors about his dismissal surfaced, Abella skipped the daily press briefing with Palace reporters at least twice -- October 23 and 27 -- last week.
Asked if he is inclined to give Abella another position in the government, Duterte said: "I will answer you when he's there."
During the birthday celebration of Roque in Davao City on Friday, October 27, the President announced that the Kabayan lawmaker replaces Abella as a presidential spokesperson.
In a speech, he said Roque would assume the new post on November 6, the day a Cabinet meeting was scheduled, "to make his entrance dramatic."
Speaking to reporters Sunday night, Duterte introduced Roque as his "new spokesman," who is eligible to hold the position because of his "competence."
"He (Roque) will carry my word to the public and he's very competent," Duterte said.
"It's in the messaging actually. We cannot speak the same words altogether but how we could convey that message from me would be the most important. I trust that he'd be able to come up to the expectations," he said. (SunStar Philippines)