By Genalyn Kabiling

Malacañang has backed Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.’s vote for a Chinese candidate in the recently concluded election for the next director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).

Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the Palace trusted Locsin made the decision based on the competence, not necessarily the nationality, of the candidate.

“Secretary Teddyboy Locsin will be voting for a person who represents competence and should be given the job. (It has) nothing to do with whatever nationality,” he said in a radio interview Sunday.

Panelo however admitted that President Duterte did not interfere with Locsin’s choice in the WIPO post, saying he lets Cabinet members do their work.

“The President does not have to tell everything what Secretary Teddyboy Locsin does. Mga kailangan si Presidente ‘yung lang mga importante bagay (The President is needed only in important matters),” he said.

“‘Yung mga ganun ordinaryong trabaho ng Cabinet member (On the ordinary tasks of Cabinet members), he does not have to know that,” he added.

Asked if the Palace was amenable to a candidate from China that has been confronted with alleged intellectual property violations, Panelo said: “Secretary Locsin will be voting whoever is deserving.”

In the recent WIPO election, Singapore’s Intellectual Property Chief Executive Daren Tang won the nomination for the director general post.

Tang earned 55 votes against the China’ candidate Wang Binying’s 28 votes to lead the United Nations-backed agency. Wang, who has reportedly worked at WIPO for almost three decades, is currently a deputy director general of the agency.

Tang will replace Australian Francis Gurry who will step down by the end of September following a 12-year term.

Locsin recently revealed on Twitter that he voted China “to the very end” and claimed that Singapore’s victory was “under strong Western pressure.”

“I voted China to very end. Am like that; I stood with US isolated on an issue. Friend in need is friend indeed. 1 of 28 is better than 1 of 55 when shit hits fan,” he tweeted last March 5.

Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore’s Foreign Minister, took a swipe at Locsin for backing the candidate from China instead of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bet from Singapore.

“I have always admired your transparency. But must say that I hope you will stand by your friends and partners in ASEAN with the same vigour. This is a crucial time to keep ASEAN united,” the minister tweeted.

Locsin however defended his choice, saying that some ASEAN members were not supportive of the Philippines during the Iceland-backed resolution calling for an inquiry into the drug-related killings in the country.

“And some in ASEAN lacked alacrity in expressing support for the Philippines and opposition to the Iceland Resolution though all did after the vote. Hard to forget some things. I’m just human,” he said.