By Paul Atienza
The Daily Tribune
Malacañang has just canonized as saints the Aquinos, from the President down, including their parents, Ninoy and Cory.
Since she’s an Aquino, Ballsy Cruz, the sister of President Aquino, is not capable of irregularity similar to the allegation that she and her husband tried to broker for a Czech supplier of train coaches to guarantee securing a government contract, Palace spokesman Edwin Lacierda said.
“It is really malicious of people to impute involvement on the sisters when we know for a fact that they (the Aquino siblings) carry the legacy of the names of their parents,” Lacierda said.
Lacierda stressed that the “legacy” of former Sen. Ninoy Aquino and former President Cory Aquino, parents of Ballsy and the president, preclude the Cruz’s capability of being involved in an anomalous deal.
“It’s a very precious legacy that they have been holding. They are the bearers of this legacy and they will not, in any way, demean this legacy,” Lacierda said.
Lacierda said that any attempt to besmirch the image of the Aquinos would only fail.
“So, as to the author of this demolition job, I have no names, but I think it’s not working, and I think he better stop it,” Lacierda said.
Lacierda said there would be no need for Aquino to be advised about his “friends” around him who may stab his back.
“The President should watch out among his friends? The President need not be told. The President knows what he does,” Lacierda said.
Lacierda asserted Ballsy and her husband Eldon Cruz are not involved in any government transaction much less securing a contract for the mass transit expansion project of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC).
The couple allegedly went to the Czech Republic with a group identified as the Aquino’s long-time allies and tried to extort money from railway contractor Inekon offering, in exchange, to facilitate the firm’s cornering of the contract to supply coaches for the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) under an expansion plan.
A member of the House of Representatives indicated plans to invite the Czech Ambassador Josef Rychtar to shed light on the allegations since he was identified as having sent a letter to Aquino about the Inekon extorsion bid.
Last Tuesday night, Aquino also reportedly summoned Transportation and Communications Secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya in Malacañang to explain the train projects.
“Let me just state this: The one being identified here is Ballsy (Aquino) Cruz and Eldon Cruz. They have never involved themselves in any government affairs,” Lacierda said.
Lacierda was asked to comment on a newspaper article defending the Cruz couple and attacking the supposed “friends” of Aquino along with a warning that Aquino should be wary of his friends in Malacañang.
Lacierda said the couple in only a few instances were present in Malacañang functions usually as a guest of the President.
“The only time that you will see them is when there is an event here in Malacañang Palace and that’s very rare. I can only think of two or three times, or four times in the whole three years since her (Ballsy’s) brother has assumed the presidency,” Lacierda said.
The high rating approval of Aquino would only show that attacks against his administration and performance have never any adverse effect.
“We have seen so many times over the three-year period the various attacks against the President and, in spite of all these attacks against the President, the President’s approval ratings have remained at a record high,” Lacierda said.
Lacierda said the people remained satisfied with the performance of Aquino and “for as long as he treads the straight path, any attempt to attack Aquino would end up in futility.”
“It shows that the people believe in the integrity of the President and, as long as the President continues in his “straight path”, no amount of criticism, unfounded criticism, or demolition job against him will stick,” Lacierda said.
Malacañang last week said it will not dignify reports that a group led by presidential sister Ballsy Aquino-Cruz and husband Eldon Cruz tried to extort money from a company supposedly in exchange for the guarantee of the government contract.
Inekon Trams manufactures trams and railways, and is located in the Czech Republic. The company has supplied new trams to several cities in the Czech Republic and the United States. It has also been successful in getting contracts in Asia, according to its website.
Deputy presidential spokesman Abigail Valte quickly trashed the allegations, and just as quickly absolved the presidential sister and brother in law, as well as their group.
Valte claimed that the story was made up, saying that the details were obscure and “murky.”
A radio report earlier quoted an unidentified source saying that Czech company Inekon refused to give an “advance” to the group of Aquino-Cruz in exchange for a supply contract for MRT coaches.
The Aquino-Cruz group is reportedly made up of Pete Prado, a former top official of the Department of Transportation Communications (DoTC) during the term of president Corazon Aquino, and Steve Psinakis.
It was alleged that between $2 million to $20 million had been asked by the group as advanced “facilitation fees” to ensure the award of the MRT-3 expansion to Inekon.
It was alleged that between $2 million to $20 million had been asked by the group as advanced “facilitation fees” to ensure the award of the MRT-3 expansion to Inekon.
Allegedly, the government of the Czech Republic was to release a report of the alleged activities of the group who visited the country.
“You know that it started as a blind item. We’ve seen it also in our monitoring. It is obvious. One, everybody knows that the presidential sisters are very far removed from the affairs of government,” Valte said.
“The story was too murky, and obviously is a conjecture or fictionalized,” Valte said.
Valte said that Aquino was already aware of the allegations.
No comments:
Post a Comment