By News5 Digital
(April 1, 2024 ) – Former chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo on Monday denied the “gentleman’s agreement” between former President Rodrigo Duterte and China President Xi Jinping, countering the claim of former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.
The allegation of Roque, Panelo’s former colleague, suggested an undisclosed deal between the two leaders. But in a phone interview with News5, Panelo claimed that there’s no truth to it.
“Kausap ko si dating Presidente Duterte and he categorically said there was no agreement, gentleman or otherwise. There is no such animal. Gawa-gawa lang ‘yan ng nagkakalat,” stressed Panelo.
Panelo also slammed Roque’s credibility.
“Mahilig sa publisidad ‘yun. Gusto lang siguro ng publicity,” said Panelo. “Itinanggi na ni Presidente Duterte na (mayroong) agreement. Kahit nung kami ang nasa Malacañang, wala talagang pinasok na agreement si Presidente Duterte.”
Panelo claimed that Duterte defended the country’s sovereignty in the face of maritime disputes with China, referencing the former chief executive’s actions regarding the landmark arbitration ruling in 2016 that favored the Philippines over China.
“Pinaglaban niya ‘yan,” claimed Panelo, adding that Duterte even broached the matter to Xi.
But to recall, Duterte dismissed the historic arbitral decision as a “piece of paper” that should be thrown into a wastebasket. The tough-talking leader also repeatedly said that he cannot do anything about the maritime disputes because he doesn’t want a war with China, even though the possibility of this has been dismissed by geopolitical experts.
Panelo expressed his frustration over the ongoing speculations from various camps, emphasizing the stance of the Duterte administration that the Philippines’ sovereignty in the West Philippine Sea must be honored.
“I’ve been avoiding that issue kasi hot potato ‘yan. ‘Di ako nakikipagsundo kahit na kanino,” said Panelo.
As of writing, Roque has yet to respond to Panelo’s remarks.
Our Privacy Commitment
TV5 Network Inc. values and respects your privacy. We are committed to safeguarding your personal data in compliance with Republic Act No. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012 and its implementing rules and regulations.
We have developed a Privacy Policy that adopts and observes appropriate standards for personal data protection. While our Privacy Policy sets out the general principles governing the collection, use, and disclosure of our users’ personal information, our Privacy Commitment seeks to inform you more about TV5’s privacy practices.
Why do we collect your personal information (as applicable)?
We may collect and maintain basic information about you as site user of TV5 sites for the following purposes:
Where do we get your personal information?
There are several ways we collect your personal information.
Information that you personally provided.
Most of the personal information we have are those that you have provided us when you:
Information we collect during your engagement with us
We also collect information as you use our products and services, like:
Information we collect from other sources
Other means of collection of information may be through:
When do we disclose personal information?
There may be instances when we are required to share the information you provided us. In such cases, we ensure that your personal information will be disclosed on a confidential manner, through secure channels and in compliance with the Data Privacy Act and other privacy laws.
We will never share, rent, or sell your personal information to third parties outside of TV5 except in special cases where you have given consent, and in cases described in our privacy policy.
In some instances, we may be required to disclose your personal information to our agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, business partners and other third-party agencies and service providers as part of our regular business operations and for the provision of our programs and services. This means we might share your information with our service providers, contractors, and professional advisers who help us provide our services.
How we protect your personal information
The integrity, confidentiality, and security of your information is important to us. We have implemented technical, organizational, and physical security measures that are designed to protect your information from unauthorized or fraudulent access, alteration, disclosure, misuse, and other unlawful activities.
We also put in effect the following safeguards:
TV5 will not collect, use, or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than the purpose that you may have given your consent for.
What are your choices?
We make sure that we have your consent to continue to collect, use, and disclose your personal information for the purposes that we have identified. We want you to know that you may object or withdraw your consent and/or edit your consent preferences at any time.
If you wish to have access to the personal information in our custody or if you think that the personal information you provided is incomplete, or otherwise inaccurate, you may get in touch with our Data Protection Officer through the contact details provided below. In some instances, we may request for supporting documents or proof before we effect requested changes.
Data Protection Officer
TV5 Network Inc.
Reliance corner Sheridan Streets
Mandaluyong City
tv5dataprivacy@tv5.com.ph
What happens when there are changes in our Policy?
From time to time, we may update our privacy policy and practices to comply with changes in applicable laws and regulatory requirements, adapt to new technologies and protocols, and align with the best practices of the industry.
You will be provided notices if the changes are significant and, if we are required by law, we will obtain your updated consent.