Palace spokesman Harry Roque in Bohol (Photo from Roque’s Facebook)
Palace spokesman Harry Roque on Tuesday defended his Boracay excursion over the weekend, saying he was exposed to Covid-19 after the trip, once he arrived in Manila.
“From the airport from the Visayas, diretso sa PCR testing at doon po lumabas na positibo iyong staff ko. Kaya iyong trip po to Visayas, hindi po, wala pa akong exposure doon at hindi ko po kasama sa Visayas iyong staff ko na nag-positive,” he said in a virtual presser.
He said he traveled to Iloilo City on Friday, to Boracay on Saturday and back to Manila on Sunday.
Roque said he had side trips along the way during his weekend trip but maintained that he only took advantage of where he was.
“I always have a reason to go out but I always take advantage po of where I am. But I never violate the rules. So sa mga kritiko ko po, pasensiya na po… lawyer/law professor, I’m 100-percent compliant with the rules,” he said.
In November last year, Roque said he had learned his lesson after causing a quarantine fiasco in Cebu.
“Lesson learned na po iyan,” he said, admitting that government officials should always comply with minimum health protocols to avoid spreading complacency among Filipinos.
The spokesman was also spotted singing, a prohibited activity amid the Covid-19 pandemic, in front of a Baguio crowd amid the pandemic sans face mask and face shield.
Roque later explained he was just “unloading a little.”
In July last year, Roque went dolphin-watching at the Ocean Adventure Park in Subic. Some photos showed him posing for photos with fellow resort-goers, but he maintained he was only beside dolphins during his trip. John Ezekiel J. Hirro