DAVAO CITY, Philippines – “No press cons, no mistakes.”

President-elect Rodrigo Duterte will no longer be holding press conferences, his longtime aide Christopher Go told reporters in a chance interview Friday evening, June 3.

Duterte will instead course his messages through the state-owned PTV-4.

“Sa ngayon walang press con para walang mali,” said Go. (For now, no more press conferences so there is less room for mistakes.)

“Iko-course through niya through state-owned stations ‘yung press releases, ‘yung mga interviews,” he added. (He will course press releases and interviews through state-owned stations.)

Duterte has been under fire recently because of statements made the past few days. In one press conference, Duterte said some journalists who were killed asked for it because they were corrupt. 

The Davao mayor later clarified that statement, classifying journalists into 3 categories: the honest, the “PR” persons, and the “vultures.” It’s the vultures who are killed because of their corrupt ways, the President-elect said, 

In the same press conference, Duterte catcalled a female journalist on cam. He was widely criticized for the act, which goes against his own city’s ordinance against sexual harassment.

Duterte would later go on to say what whistling was not a form of sexual harassment.

The Davao mayor, who rooted his campaign on the promise of “change,” will be taking his oath of office on June 30 yet.

On Saturday, June 4, Duterte will be joining his fellow Davaoeños and Mindanaoans in a thanksgiving party. – Rappler.com