Duterte wants to talk to Marcos''indirectly'' on SMNI probe
Former President Rodrigo Duterte said late Saturday that he wants to talk to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr ''indirectly'' about the investigation on Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), which was given a one-month suspension by the National Telecommunications Commission
“Because my program ‘Gikan sa Masa’ was affected. I do not want to confront the president, but rather, I’d like to talk to him indirectly about why that happened. As far I’m concerned I have not crucified him, not even criticized him severely, maybe commented on the directions of the government is proceeding,” Duterte told reporters in Davao City.
The Presidential Communications Office said Marcos ''is always available to President Duterte.'' ''The President will contact him now to ask if he wants a meeting,'' it added.
“I don’t know if I strayed along the courteous path, not correct, but courteous. I cannot remember criticizing severely anybody there in government,” Duterte added.
The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) also meted out preventive suspension for 14 days on two SMNI programs including “Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa” hosted by Duterte and “Laban Kasama ang Bayan” hosted by former National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) spokesperson Lorraine Badoy.
Duterte also denied rumors that he has been secretly meeting with police and soldiers to destabilize the Marcos administration.
“What kind of foolish police or member of the military would want to meet with me to destabilize the government? You must be crazy,” Duterte said.
“Why would I bother to tinker with these things? I already became a president…I’m comfortable with Marcos. Why should I replace him? And who am I to replace him at this time in my life?” he said.
Asked about his reaction to the International Criminal Court wanting to investigate his administration’s war on drugs, he said: '' Just let the ICC be…If this country would go down the drain, the ICC cannot come and bring us out…I have yet to see the ICC help a country that has been destroyed by drugs.”
He said “Marcos has nothing to do with the ICC”.
“I’m not in any way dragging him into the picture. ICC has been there for a long time. He wasn’t even in the picture yet, but the ICC has already been there,” he said.
Durterte also said that the ICC was interfering with the country’s affairs “in the sense that it intrudes to the sovereignty of the other nations."
He also maintained that he will no longer involve himself with politics and will no longer run for public office, even as a senator.
“I am done. I have my time, I was given a time to be there and contribute something to my country,” he added. Jaspearl Tan/DMS
