OUTGOING Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella on Monday expressed support for his successor Kabayan partylist Representative Harry Roque.
Abella broke his silence and spoke about his removal from Duterte's Cabinet two days after the President announced in Davao City that Roque will be his new spokesman starting November 6.
"It is clear that the President has very sure instincts and that [incoming spokesperson] Roque meets his expectations," Abella said in a statement.
Abella believed Roque could help the President relay to the public his policies and programs that are beneficial to the country.
"I believe [Roque] will be more than adequate for the occasion and will deliver the right support needed for [Duterte’s] program of government," he added.
On Sunday, Duterte said it was his "personal decision" to dismiss Abella, who served his Cabinet for 16 months.
The President was also mum on the possibility that his outgoing spokesperson would assume another post in the government.
Veteran journalist Ellen Tordesillas earlier reported that Duterte was disappointed by the way Abella faced the media at the time his performance and trust scores in the Social Weather Stations' recent survey declined by two percentage points.
The President was confident that Roque is competent to replace Abella because he could deliver the right message to the Filipino people.
"He (Roque) will carry my word to the public and he's very competent," he said in a pre-departure interview in Davao City before leaving the country for Japan trip.
"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," Duterte added. (SunStar Philippines)