The President’s spokesman
Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda probably thought the Filipino people are stupid or else why would he say that the reason why the President has not made statements on other national issues was because he has no access to Manila newspapers.
In this day and age of internet and cellphones!
Lacierda said Wednesday: “You know, the problem in Zamboanga is that no planes are flying there. They’re not getting news there. No newspapers are being flown there.”
Lacierda thinks we will believe that? I’d rather think he was not in the mood to think up of excuses why the President has not made a statement on the filing of charges against three senators and 34 other persons in connection with the pork barrel scam operated by Janet Lim Napoles who surrendered to him last Aug. 28. He even brought her to Camp Crame to make sure she is safe and well taken care of, remember?
There were other issues like the Sangguniang Kabataan elections scheduled Oct. 28. Last Monday the Senate approved a bill postponing it until the SK is restructured. The House also approved a similar bill last week. It’s awaiting the President’s certification as “urgent.”
There are hundreds of journalists sending their stories complete with pictures and video from Zamboanga. That simply means that nobody can be out of touch.
I’d like to think that Lacierda was just acting stupid when he thought of that “no newspapers” excuse because if he were, kawawa naman ang taumbayan.
The President has been in Zamboanga since Friday last week. It’s good that he held a press conference in Zamboanga yesterday because his absence in public functions is fuel all sorts of rumors.
Here’s excerpts from his press conference:
Reporter: How involved are you in the decision making dito and in order to solve this crisis here in Zamboanga?
Aquino: I am both Commander-in-Chief and the President, therefore, at the end of the day, everything is my responsibility, so I am very involved—‘yung from everything to getting briefed and putting some of my inputs into the security operations.
Meron din ‘yung others to make parang the effects of the crisis less, ano, that means ‘yung DSWD. I get briefed; I get—I ask them what is needed, et cetera; authorize the releases of funds; to talking to Bangko Sentral to ensure that the cash supply, ano, ‘yung physical cash supply is present; to talking to DTI, DOTC, and DA to ensure that basic food stuffs are available from the time before I left Manila to the present—to include not just Zamboanga City but BASULTA (Basilan-Sulu-Tawi-tawi).
Reporter:. Sir, kumusta po ‘yung war room? Balita kasi namin parang madaling araw daw kayo nagigising. Talagang nagko-command kayo sa mga different heads in order to resolve this crisis.
Aquino: Mahirap naman sigurong bigyan ng image na nagma-micromanage ako. Hindi, ano. In-assign natin ang bawat tao sa kanilang pwesto dahil may paniniwala tayong may kakayahan sila na tugunan ‘yung kanilang responsibilidad.
So, kung minsan, meron tayong katanungan, hinihingan natin ng clarification at sinisigurado rin natin, kaya nagpunta ako dito… Alam mo, ‘nung bago ako umabot dito—‘di ba, Friday—nag-uusap kami: telepono, may video conferencing na kailangang i-improve, medyo ‘yung layo nagka… Baka magkaroon ng hindi klaro na pag-unawa doon sa ating mga kautusan.
So nagpunta tayo dito para mas mabilis ‘yung pagbigay ng impormasyon, at pagbigay din ng desisyon, at i-klaro kung ano man ang kailangang klaruhin—either doon sa mga konsepto or doon sa desisyon na ating pinairal.
Reporter: Sir, parang napansin ko lahat na ho ng opisyales ay nandirito sa Zamboanga. Hanggang kailan niyo po sasamahan ang mga taga-Zamaboanga?
Aquino: Well, pipilitin ko hanggang matapos itong immediate na crisis, ano. Palagay ko babalik ako ‘pag natapos ‘yung plano para maipaliwanag nang naka-detalye: ano ang gagawin ng gobyerno, para kanino, saan, at kailan. At I don’t expect that to take too long, ano.
Pero balikan ko lang nga, ‘yung siguro, gusto ko lang iwan sa mga nakikinig po sa atin sa kasalukuyan, na handa ang gobyernong tumugon sa lahat ng suliranin. Ito palagay ko’y, in a sense, unique, ano. Nailipat mo or nailikas mo ang daang libo at hindi kami humingi ng—o hindi kami gumawa ng excuses kung hindi mapakain, kung hindi matugunan ang panggagamot. Siguro, patunay ‘yon na ready sila.
So I’d like to… ‘Yung ‘pag may nagsasabi sa akin, “parang ang ‘cool’ mo.” Sabi ko, ‘pag ito mga kasamahan mo, na lahat ay ginagampanan ‘yung kailangan nilang gawin na hindi mo na kailangang utusang gampanan, at kung ano mang pagsubok na palaki nang palaki ay natutugunan pa rin, ay talaga namang, ‘di ba, napapahanga ako sa kanila at doon nagmumula ‘yung kumpiyansa na malalampasan natin kung ano man ang pagsubok dito.
Siguro, baka as a last thing na lang, ano, hindi pa huli ang lahat. Doon sa mga natitira na puwersa ng kalaban, sa akin mahalaga ang buhay, baka naman gusto niyong tingnan kung mahalaga rin ‘yung buhay niyo? At hindi pa huli ang lahat para tapusin ito nang mabawasan ‘yung namamatay or nasusugatan—nasa inyong kamay ‘yon.
