ROQUE TO DOUBLE AS DUTERTE ADVISER

HARRY Roque will have dual jobs at the Palace: as spokesman and adviser to President Rodrigo Duterte.

“It’s just an advisory position that would not be incompatible with the Cabinet appointment,” - ence with the Malacañang Press Corps on Thursday.

Roque founded Centerlaw, which provides legal assistance to victims of extrajudicial killings and media killings.

The former lawmaker earlier said that he accepted the job as the President’s spokesman because he wanted to discuss with the President issues such as protection of and upholding human rights.

“I was a practicing lawyer, and a very active practitioner at that. The President is just the same. He was for implementing criminal law as a public prosecutor. It is a matter of making the President realize that [enforcing] criminal law is a manner of enforcing human rights,” Roque said.

The former University of the Philippines professor also served as counsel for the families of the 57 media workers who died in the 2009 Maguindanao massacre vs. the Ampatuan clan, a powerful political family.

“When you prosecute the crime of murder, that’s because murder violated the right to live. That is the kind of advise that will be ap- propriate,” Roque added.

As the President’s spokesman, Roque said he would not stifle opposition and critical views despite his earlier statement that he will hurl hollow blocks at the President’s critics.

“What I meant was, since I believe in the free marketplace of ideas, stones hurled are welcome, but expect to have bigger stones thrown back at you. That’s the nature of the free marketplace of ideas. It is only where we have a clash of ideas that we are able to discern what the truth is and what is not,” he said.

“I am for free exchange of ideas and I welcome opposing and con and important in a democracy,” Roque added.

New office

Since Roque was appointed with Presidential Spokesperson PS) will Presidential Communications and by Martin Andanar.

When Ernesto Abella was the spokesman, the OPS was under the PCOO since Abella had the rank of undersecretary.

Roque said he will name a deputy who will take his place when he is outside Metro Manila.