Counterpoint with Secretary Salvador Panelo

In October 2018, Salvador Panelo replaced Harry Roque as the Presidential Spokesperson of Rodrigo Duterte, as Roque aimed to run for congress in the 2019 midterm election.^[4] In 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic became a threat the Philippines and forced President Duterte to declare an enhanced community quarantine for the entire Luzon area, he reappointed Roque as Presidential Spokesperson on April 13, with Panelo explaining that the crisis "requires a new task in messaging."^[5][6]

Counterpoint was created by Panelo as a new platform for "discussing the issues affecting our country", as well as "analyze, dissect issues raised by certain critics and others against certain policies of the government".^[7] Shot at the New Executive Building of Malacañang,^[2] the program began airing on PTV in the Philippines on May 1, 2020, and is simultaneously broadcast on social media pages of the Philippine government.^[7][8] Each episode is subsequently posted on YouTube after broadcast by the RTVMalacañang.^{[2][9][3][10]} The show ended its broadcast on September 24, 2021, weeks before he resigned as the Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and subsequently filed for candidacy for the 2022 Senatorial election.

On August 31, 2022, Counterpoint returned to television following Panelo's election defeat, airing on Net 25, a free-to-air and cable television network owned by Iglesia ni Cristo's affiliate Eagle Broadcasting Corporation. The show airs every Wednesday at 10:30 PM (PST).^[11]

Panelo's remarks from the program's May 4 episode, which described the COVID-19 pandemic as potentially an "invasion" and grounds for martial law, was criticized by the National Union of Peoples' Lawyers as "constitutionally preposterous" and led Harry Roque to announce that Duterte disagrees with Panelo's position.^[12][13] Panelo later clarified that his remarks were for the purpose of a "theoretical discussion".^[14]