PRRD fed wrong info
MANILA - A day after President Rodrigo Duterte launched profanity-laced remarks against the European Union (EU), Malacañang on Friday came to his defense, saying the Chief Executive was merely prompted to take potshots at the regional bloc after being “fed with wrong information.”
Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella explained that the President was not misinformed about the alleged EU’s proposal on the Philippines’ expulsion in the United Nations (UN).
Abella then blamed the media over the supposed dubious news reports, which “falsely portrayed” the European bloc as the seven delegates from the International Progressive Alliance.
“That makes reference
to the seven-man team [of Progressive Alliance]. Basically that. I mean the focus was on that. And again, the European delegation has already issued a clarification that seven-man team was not the EU itself,” he told Palace reporters.
“Basically, he (Duterte) was reacting to what he was reading. He was reacting to what he was reading so it’s not a question of being misinformed, that means to say, being fed with wrong information,” the presidential spokesman added.
On Thursday, Duterte slammed the EU for allegedly advocating to delist the Philippines’ as UN member-state.
The Chief Executive shrugged off the country’s possible removal of UN membership and in exchange, told the EU ambassadors to the Philippines to leave “in 24 hours.”
“They threatened us that they will have us expelled from the UN. My God, do it, stupid. Do it now,” Duterte said at the inauguration of renovated Palace’s press briefing room.
“Now, the ambassadors of those countries listening now, tell me because we can have the diplomatic channel cut tomorrow. You leave my country in 24 hours. All. All of you,” he added.
The EU released a statement shortly after Duterte’s pronouncement, denying that it made a suggestion to expel the Philippines in the UN.
The EU also clarified that it was not associated with the Progressive Alliance delegation to the Philippines on October 8 to 9, “as falsely reported by some media outlets.”
“The statements made by the Progressive Alliance during its visit to the Philippines were made solely on behalf of the Progressive Alliance and do not represent the position of the European Union,” the regional bloc said in a statement.