Presidential Spokesperon Harry Roque said Tuesday an apology to Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz over a Palace document that linked her to an alleged anti-government plot was not for him to give.
Roque said he made no allegations against Diaz as spokesman to President Rodrigo Duterte. It was his predecessor, now Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Salvador Pandelo, who connected Diaz to Rodel Jayme, then accused of plotting against the state.
Minutes after her historic win in Tokyo on Monday, Diaz mentioned a "matrix" as among the challenges she faced on the road to Olympic glory, an allusion to her being tagged in the Palace list.
"As spokesperson, wala po akong kahit na anong binintang kay Hidilyn Diaz," Roque said on Tuesday, when asked if the Palace would apologize to the gold medalist, whom he also congratulated.
Diaz told ONE News on Monday: "After winning the Olympics, siyempre ang hirap mag-sustain, naging 9 out of 9 ako, nagkaroon ng matrix... sobrang gulo ng buhay ko."
She had denied involvemen in an anti-government plot. Panelo would also later downplay Diaz's inclusion in the matrix and blamed the media for "wrongly" reporting on it.
Diaz was trolled over the matrix and for later remarks, wherein she asked whether or not it was right for her to seek private sponsors for her Tokyo campaign.
Reportr is now on Quento. Download the app or visit the Quento website for more articles and videos from Reportr and your favorite websites.
