Malacañang sees nothing wrong with his former boss, President Rodrigo Duterte, showing allegiance to Senator Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa. Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo, speaking to reporters on Friday, suggested that Dela Rosa supports the President as they hold the same values on certain issues. Recently Dela Rosa drew criticism for saying that his vote on media giant ABS-CBN’s franchise renewal …

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana claimed on Saturday that President Rodrigo Duterte has not formally ordered a notice of termination of the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) to be sent to the US, contrary to a previous announcement by Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo. “This is fake news. Sec. Locsin has not yet[ seen] the document,” Lorenzana told reporters in a chat group, …

President Rodrigo Duterte has placed a ban on tourists from China’s Hubei province and from other Chinese areas affected by the novel coronavirus (nCoV) Panelo released the statement a day after the Health Department (DOH) announced the country’s first nCoV event— a 38-year-old woman from Wuhan City, China. Wuhan is a town in province Hubei. Less than a day after …

Presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo stated that President Rodrigo Duterte’s ban on Cabinet members traveling to the United States includes personal and family trips. Panelo said Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr. is being exempted from the ban. One day after Duterte imposed the ban on travel to the US, Panelo revealed the specifics of the embargo. Duterte confirmed that …