Manila, Philippines – Malacañang denied yesterday that it had a hand in the resignation of Department of National Defense (DND) spokesman Zosimo Paredes II.
Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said it would be up to Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin to explain on Paredes’s resignation, noting that the Palace has no hand on the matter. “We will defer to DND dahil wala naman po din sa aming nabanggit that there has been a resignation. So, at this point, we are not in a position to comment or to confirm nor deny it,“ she said.
“We will have to rely on the DND to shed light on the circumstances kung totoo nga po man na nag-resign na si Usec. Paredes,“ she added. It will be recalled that the Palace had turned down Paredes’s statement that a revolutionary government is an option for President Aquino, saying that it was just Paredes’s personal opinion and not the position of the DND.
The Palace official likewise denied speculations that Paredes was forced to resign because of his statement on revolutionary government. (Madel R. Sabater)