Locsin apologizes to Panelo, says he fell for ‘media lie’

Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. apologized to Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo for reacting on the Malacañang’s statement on China’s drafting agreement for the country.

“Lying media had you saying, “We don’t care if China made the first draft.” I reacted: “I fu*k*n* care.” Sorry. I fell for media lie,” Locsin said in a tweet on Friday.

This, after Locsin spoke out when Malacañang’s communications team allegedly does not care about China drafting an agreement for Beijing and Manila to jointly explore waters inside the Philippine Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

Locsin said that China’s oil deal draft should have been more Filipino.

He was referring to Panelo’s statement that it “[d]oesn’t matter who drafted” the joint agreement to explore disputed territories for oil and other minerals.

“Doesn’t matter who drafted it. As far as we’re concerned, if you give us a draft then we will go over it,” Panelo told media on Tuesday, Nov. 20, 2018.

However, Locsin, a former journalist, further apologized saying: “When I was in media I never lied.”

He also revealed that Panelo’s statement was aired by television broadcaster Pinky Webb saying: ”IF, ASSUMING IF, China made the first draft, so what, we vet it anyway.”

READ: Chinese oil deal draft 

President Rodrigo Duterte and China’s Xi Jinping witnessed the signing a memorandum of understanding for oil and gas development cooperation during the first day of visit of Xi in the country.

Locsin and Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi signed the said memorandum.