Atty. Salvador S. Panelo

Atty. Salvador Panelo will be the voice of Rodrigo Duterte for the next 6 years as he takes on the job as the president-elect’s spokesperson. He will face mostly – and if the need arises, defend the president from – the media that will closely cover the new administration just like what he had been doing in the past.

As legal counsel of the Davao City mayor, Panelo was one of the most-sought-after figures at the height of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV’s charges of hidden wealth against the president-elect. Trillanes alleged Duterte’s bank account in the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI)’s Julia Vargas branch had transactions that amounted to billions of pesos. On May 2, he represented Duterte at BPI where he tried to disprove the claims of Trillanes amid a huge crowd of supporters from both sides.

Panelo, however, is no stranger to dealing with issues that surround his clients. As a lawyer, he has handled quite high profile cases throughout his career.