(Eagle News)– The Palace on Thursday, May 17, denied the government was discriminating against women.
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque made the statement after President Rodrigo Duterte was quoted as saying the next Chief Justice should not be a woman.
“Kahit sino pupuwedeng ma-appoint sa ating gobyerno,” Roque said.
Roque also denied the President had made such a statement in the first place.
According to Roque, based on his understanding, what the President said was that he would ask the Judicial and Bar Council, but not Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales, the “woman,” for its preferred replacement for the chief anti-graft body post.
Morales is slated to retire in July.
The President has appointed women to key Cabinet posts.
Only recently, Duterte appointed Bernadette Romulo-Puyat as the new tourism chief after Wanda Teo resigned over a P60-million advertisement placement controversy.
The Commission on Audit had red-flagged the project, which saw the placement of Department of Tourism advertisements in “Kilos Pronto,” the program produced by Teo’s brother, Ben Tulfo.
Teo has denied any wrongdoing.
Prior to this, Leonor Briones and Judy Taguiwalo as secretaries of the Department of Education and the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Taguiwalo, however, was rejected by the powerful Commission on Appointments due to her alleged ties to the left.