MANILA – Acting Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque on Thursday said he is not yet resigning from his post as Kabayan Party-list Representative as he has yet to receive his appointment paper.

Roque, who shall hold the rank of a Cabinet secretary, said he was advised by some colleagues in the chamber to wait for his appointment paper and seek clarification whether he would need to hurdle the bicameral Commission on Appointments (CA).

“I was given the advice though by some of my colleagues like Cong. Rodolfo Albano [that] unless you’re certain that you’re not going through the CA, don’t resign until you’re sure that one, you will not go through the CA, and if you do that, the CA had already confirmed you,” Roque told ANC.

Roque cited the case of former Las Piñas Representative and now Public Works Secretary Mark Villar, who waited for his confirmation from the CA before relinquishing his post as a lawmaker.

“I can assume (the position as a spokesperson) without resigning, and that works for me right now as Congress is still on recess anyway,” Roque said.

Congress will resume its session on Nov. 20, while Roque is set to formally assume his post on Nov. 6, the day he will also attend his first Cabinet meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte.

In a related development, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, who sits as chairman of the powerful CA, said there is no need for Roque to go through the bicameral body.

Roque, meanwhile, said that aside from being the President’s spokesperson, he may also take on another role.

He said he may also serve as an adviser of the Chief Executive on a particular issue, which he did not reveal.

“It’s just an advisory position that would not be incompatible with the Cabinet appointment,” he said in a news conference in Malacañang.

Some analysts have said Roque, an expert on international law, may be tapped for President Rodrigo Duterte's defense in the case filed against him before the International Criminal Court (ICC) over his alleged involvement in extrajudicial killings. Roque is the only Filipino lawyer who may practice law before the ICC.

On Monday, Roque said this would be up to the President.

In January, Kabayan Party-list "removed" Roque as its representative over loss of trust and confidence, citing his media statements accusing state lawyers of corruption.

The party said Roque was removed due to "an overwhelming call among Kabayan Party-list members and supporters," and that his actions were "severely damaging" to the party-list.

Despite this, Roque was not readily removed from his post as the review of his status remained pending before the House leadership.

• READ: Despite party-list expulsion, Harry Roque still a congressman, fellow lawmaker says

He has pending ethics cases against the group's second nominee Ron Salo, who had filed a disbarment case against him before the Supreme Court.

• READ: Roque to push ethics cases vs Salo before leaving House