‘Roque should have stopped there’

The remark of recycled presidential spokesperson Harry Roque — touted to be an “expert in international law” — about Taiwan’s decision to rebuff a Duterte minion’s request to deport an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) there for saying bad things about President Duterte, went thus: “We leave the Filipino caregiver to the jurisdiction of the Taiwanese authorities because deportation is really a decision to be made by the Taiwanese authorities…” Good thinking.

The blabbermouth should have stopped right there. But he had to suck up to his boss who is best friends with China: “We leave that wholly to the decision of Taiwan and China. Taiwan is a part of China”! (“Needless provocation,” Editorial, 5/5/20). That utterly silly statement just demonstrated how shallow Roque’s academic pretensions really are. Or, perhaps knowing it was a stupid thing to say, he said it anyway just to keep Mr. Duterte from firing him again?

Common sense lang po. If Taiwan is merely “a part (province) of China,” why would it be sharing with China the power to deport that OFW? Alas, that is just as asinine as his predecessor’s (Salvador Panelo, who still keeps talking as the President’s “chief legal counsel”) recent public statement about the COVID-19 pandemic being deemed an “invasion” to justify President Duterte’s declaration of martial law! Duh!

Wala na bang mahanap na mas matino si President Duterte to speak for him with more sense and credibility? Many people have a serious problem already divining the words that come out of the President’s mouth without these two further screwing things up.

Jeremias H. Tobias, [email protected]