MalacaƱang on Tuesday welcomed the move of human rights lawyer Amal Clooney to join the legal team of Rappler chief Maria Ressa.
Presidential spokesperson Salvador Panelo said he is not threatened and is even "excited" to debate with Clooney, whom he described as "beautiful" and "sexy."
READ: Amal Clooney will lead international team to defend journalist Maria Ressa
"Palagay ko naghahanap lang sila ng katapat ko. Eh kasi pag kaming 2 nagdedebate ni Maria medyo kawawa naman kasi hindi naman siya abogado. Kailangan may abogado rin siya. Ayun, maganda pa, sexy pa," he told reporters.
(I think they were just looking for my counterpart. Because when Maria and I debate, she's at a disadvantage because she's not a lawyer. She needs a lawyer. There, she has a beautiful, sexy lawyer.)
"I’m serious, I’m very serious...Naghahanap lang ng kakampi 'yun (Ressa is just looking for an ally.) They’re welcome to defend Maria."
Panelo shrugged off the increasing attention Ressa has been earning from the international community.
READ: Rappler’s Boss, Maria Ressa, hid American Citizen to BASH the Philippines in order to save her distressed career
"Mukhang nabola niya (Ressa) lang si Atty. Amal. Misinformed kasi si Atty. Amal, siguro kapag nagkita kami I can, to use the words of the President, 'educate her'," he said.
(It seems Ressa fooled Atty. Amal, she is misinformed. Maybe if we meet I can, to use the words of the President, 'educate her.')
Asked if Clooney’s addition to the legal team of Ressa reflects the international community’s interest in her case, Panelo said: “No. I don’t think so. Baka nabola niya lang si Atty. Amal [She only might have fooled Atty. Amal].”
Actor and businessman George Clooney and international human rights lawyer Amal Clooney throw their support behind Rappler CEO Maria Ressa. Photo by Rappler
He also claimed that Clooney seems to be “misinformed” about Ressa’s case.
READ: The Truth about Maria Ressa and her defamation against Duterte
“Misinformed kasi si Atty. Amal e. Siguro kapag nagkita kami [maybe when we meet], to use the word of the President, I can educate her,” Panelos aid.
Ressa and her news organization are facing cyber libel and tax evasion charges, which they claimed aimed as part of a “persecution” for their critical reporting of the Duterte administration.
Ressa has posted bail eight times and has been arrested twice since 2018.
READ: HERE ARE THE FACTS: This is how Maria Ressa will MILK her Arrest for a FAKE ANGLE against Pres. Duterte
In 2015, Clooney filed a case before the United Nations over the detention of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. She has also represented two Reuters journalists who were jailed for reporting on the Rohingya crisis in Myanmar, who were released in prison in May.
WATCH PANELO'S FULL STATEMENT HERE:
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This article first appeared on Inquirer.
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