The slip-up of the Office of Press Secretary (OPS) about the details of the meeting between President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and US President Joe Biden won’t happen again, the House sponsor of the OPS budget said.
During the House plenary debate on the OPS budget on Monday, Sept. 26, Camarines Sur 3rd district Rep. Gabriel Bordado asked budget sponsor Marikina City 2nd district Rep. Stella Quimbo for a reaction to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) 77th session controversy.
“There was this comment and let me quote it, that several world leaders requested to meet with Biden but only President Marcos merited a sit-down dialogue...She (Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles) failed to check its veracity before passing it to the media,” Bordado said before the plenary.
Angeles–in a press briefing during Marcos’s visit to New York–claimed that out of 48 requests, only the Philippines was granted a bilateral meeting with Biden on the sidelines of UNGA.
Bordado wanted to get an assurance from OPS that such boo-boo won't happen again.
“The Press Secretary made the necessary clarifications at the soonest possible time...The OPS makes that strong commitment,” Quimbo said.
After Malacañang drew flak on social media for their statement, the OPS explained that the other countries’ meetings with Biden had been arranged before the UNGA and were delayed up until the New York event.
Bordado said Angeles had been doing a good job up until the UNGA controversy.