DFA clarifies PRRD did not link 'drug pusher' to China's ambassador
Published Oct 5, 2018 03:51 pm
By Roy Mabasa
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has taken “grave exception” to an article posted by an online news platform (not The Manila Bulletin) that insinuated that a Chinese businessman allegedly linked to drugs had connections with the Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines.
KAPIHAN APC/17MAR2016 Senator and Vice Presidental candidate Alan Peter Cayetano speaks at the Kapihan sa Senado at the Philippine Senate, as moderated by Senate Staffer Cely Bueno. MB PHOTO/FEDERICO CRUZ
“I’ve reviewed the speech of the President on Facebook. I have to say that there was a malicious misrepresentation by Rappler in its article that said that the President linked the ambassador to a drug lord,” DFA Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano told reporters.
Cayetano was referring to an article, titled “Duterte links wealthy ‘drug pusher’ to Chinese ambassador,” which was posted on Thursday.
Being alleged as a supposed drug lord in the report was a certain Michael Yang, reportedly a wealthy Davao-based businessman.
According to Cayetano, it appeared that there are people out to destroy Yang’s reputation and fed the President with said information.
In the President’s speech before the Philippine Military Academy Alumni on Thursday, Cayetano explained that the Chief Executive was merely saying that “(Yang) cannot be one (drug lord) because the ambassador even sleeps in his house and he was even with the Premier (Li Keqiang) when the latter was here.”
“But if you have reports like this, all the embassies are sending reports to their home offices around the world. It’s a big accusation specially coming from a President if you say that an ambassador is involved with a drug lord,” he said.
He expressed hope that both Rappler and ABS-CBN, which also came out with its own version of the story, would correct their stories to reflect what the President exactly said.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila has provided the media with the transcripts of statements from Cayetano and Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque Jr. clarifying the President’s speech.
Around noon today, Rappler pulled down the story being referred to by Cayetano and replaced it with an “updated” version “to further clarify why such link was made.”
KAPIHAN APC/17MAR2016 Senator and Vice Presidental candidate Alan Peter Cayetano speaks at the Kapihan sa Senado at the Philippine Senate, as moderated by Senate Staffer Cely Bueno. MB PHOTO/FEDERICO CRUZ
“I’ve reviewed the speech of the President on Facebook. I have to say that there was a malicious misrepresentation by Rappler in its article that said that the President linked the ambassador to a drug lord,” DFA Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano told reporters.
Cayetano was referring to an article, titled “Duterte links wealthy ‘drug pusher’ to Chinese ambassador,” which was posted on Thursday.
Being alleged as a supposed drug lord in the report was a certain Michael Yang, reportedly a wealthy Davao-based businessman.
According to Cayetano, it appeared that there are people out to destroy Yang’s reputation and fed the President with said information.
In the President’s speech before the Philippine Military Academy Alumni on Thursday, Cayetano explained that the Chief Executive was merely saying that “(Yang) cannot be one (drug lord) because the ambassador even sleeps in his house and he was even with the Premier (Li Keqiang) when the latter was here.”
“But if you have reports like this, all the embassies are sending reports to their home offices around the world. It’s a big accusation specially coming from a President if you say that an ambassador is involved with a drug lord,” he said.
He expressed hope that both Rappler and ABS-CBN, which also came out with its own version of the story, would correct their stories to reflect what the President exactly said.
The Chinese Embassy in Manila has provided the media with the transcripts of statements from Cayetano and Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque Jr. clarifying the President’s speech.
Around noon today, Rappler pulled down the story being referred to by Cayetano and replaced it with an “updated” version “to further clarify why such link was made.”