Palace: Up to Cardema to resign over proposal

It is up to National Youth Commission chair Ronald Cardema to decide on calls for his resignation over his controversial proposal to revoke State scholarships of student protesters, Malacañang said yesterday.

Cardema knows what to do if he believes he has become a burden to the Duterte administration, according to presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo.

"Iyong call for resignation nasa kanya, if he feels na he is still adequate, alam niya na kung ano ang dapat niyang gawin. Kung sa tingin niya nakakabigat siya sa administrasyon dahil doon sa kanyang mga kataga, eh alam niya rin ang gagawin niya,” Panelo said in a radio interview.

"The fact alone that the President has made his statement on the matter, I think that person should know what to do,” he added.

Cardema recently asked President Duterte to issue an executive order withdrawing the government scholarships of students who join anti-government rallies, especially those linked to the communist rebel group. Some groups have opposed Cardema’s attempt to curtail free speech while others sought his resignation over the matter.

Reacting to Cardema’s proposal, Duterte found nothing unlawful if students express dissent and join protest rallies. Duterte, however, admitted that the students could lose their scholarship if they join the New People's Army and "espouse the destruction" of the government "feeding food on their mouth."