Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella. 蜜桃工作室 FILE PHOTO/JOAN BONDOC
Despite the remarks of President Rodrigo Duterte telling American forces to leave strife-torn Mindanao, Malaca帽ang said the government is not turning its back on anybody.
鈥淲e are not turning back on anybody,鈥� Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella told reporters in a news briefing on Tuesday.
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Abella said Duterte鈥檚 pronouncement was not yet a policy statement.
鈥淚t is not policy yet. It is not policy. In other words, nobody acted on it yet,鈥� he said.
鈥淭here is no specific directive as to how this pronouncement will be effected,鈥� Abella added.
The Palace official said the statement of the President was 鈥渓ayered鈥� and could be interpreted in many ways.
鈥淚t is not automatically a policy statement but a basis for policy,鈥� he said, referring to Duterte鈥檚 remarks.
On Monday, Duterte said he wanted US forces to leave Mindanao because their presence would only aggravate the situation in the region.
READ: Duterte: American troops must leave Mindanao
鈥淜aya iyong mga (That鈥檚 why those) special forces, they have to go. They have to go.聽In Mindanao, maraming mga puti roon (there are many US forces there), they have to go. I-review ko iyang (I will review the) foreign policy. Hindi ko lang masalita noon (I just couldn鈥檛 speak about it before) out of respect or I do not want a rift with America. But they have to go,鈥� the President said in a speech in Malaca帽ang on Monday night. RAM/rga