“If the President wishes to appoint anyone that (he) deems credible, then we leave the wisdom behind those (appointments) to the President,” Andanar said. MALACAÑANG on Sunday defended President Duterte’s decision to appoint several showbiz personalities to his administration after their designation was criticized even by Duterte supporters in social media. Communications Secretary Martin Andanar called on the public to respect Mr. Duterte’s “presidential prerogative” to choose the people he wants to join his team in governing the country. Netizens were also aghast by Mr. Duterte’s decision to tap lawyer Lanee David, a counsel of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles, as deputy commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue. ADVERTISEMENT“The (supposed) appointment or appointments are merely rumors until the appointments are signed.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer July 17, 2016 18:33 UTC