Kris Aquino and sisters Pinky Aquino-Abellada and Ballsy Aquino-Cruz have come to the defense of their brother, President Noynoy Aquino.
The president was criticized for being insensitive when he attended the Christmas party of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) in Malacañang in the aftermath of typhoon Sendong, which barreled through Mindanao and left more than 700 dead.
P-Noy drew flak when actress Valerie Concepcion tweeted on Sunday, Dec. 18, that she was hired to sing for a gathering in Malacañang, which the President attended.
Her tweet started a hot debate on Facebook and Twitter, with people arguing whether it was right or wrong for the President to attend a social function in the midst of a calamity.
Krissy’s defense
On Monday, Dec. 19, Kris said in her talk show “Kris TV” that her brother was constantly on the phone, monitoring calamity-stricken areas such as Cagayan de Oro even though he did not go there on Saturday, Dec. 17. Pinky and Ballsy were Kris’ guests on Monday’s episode.
"I think hindi niyo po maiaalis sa amin na gusto naming idepensa ang kapatid naming,” she said.
Kris also mentioned that she will go to Cagayan de Oro on Monday, Dec. 19 to represent PNoy and her home network ABS-CBN.
Of those who accused PNoy of not caring, she says, “Give me a break, di ba? Siyempre, Pangulo siya ng buong Pilipinas at siyempre mahal niya ang ating mga kababayan. So, gagawin naman niya ang lahat.”
She also asked the public to go easy on her brother. "Sana huwag mabilis ang batikos because napakaraming ahensiya ang nagtatrabaho na. It's just that a President is not like you or me na we can hop on a plane and go there because there are a lot of national concerns,” she said.
Pinky: 'PNoy didn’t want to disrupt rescue operations'
Pinky said that PNoy didn’t want to disrupt the rescue operations of government agencies as he is set to visit CDO on Tuesday, Dec. 20. Ballsy, on the other hand, explained that his visit also has to go through a process, while the party for the PSG has already been long planned.
"Talagang pinaplano na nga na pumunta sa CDO. Alam mo naman kapag pangulo ka, hindi ura-urada ay gagawin mo yun at saka tinitignan lahat. Pero narinig ko na pinag-uusapan na ng PSG (Presidential Security Group) at ng PMS (Presidential Management Staff) kung ano ang mga dadalhin," Ballsy said.
She also added that the gathering has been a yearly tradition for PSG and doubled as a thanksgiving dinner. PNoy previously thanked the PSG for saving his life during the 1987 coup d’etat attempt where he was shot.
Ballsy: ‘Tradisyon ang PSG party’
"That party was for the PSG, ang mga nag-aalaga sa Pangulo at sa kanyang pamilya. Tradisyon 'yon na talagang every year ay nagsasama-sama. Kasi it's time to thank them for always being there,” Ballsy said.
Those who defended PNoy for attending the party said that the President also acted by delegating tasks to concerned government agencies.
Valerie later deleted her tweet and then said, “I do not see anything wrong with [attending the PSG party] since its (sic) his obligation and responsibility being the head of Malacañang to be present and show his support for his hardworking employees and their respective families. But I believe that it doesn't mean that the president is not thinking of ways to help our kababayan(s) in Mindanao. It doesn't mean that the president is disregarding the plight of our fellow Filipinos. Let's not be too quick to judge.”
Valerie also apologized to people who may have found her original tweet insensitive. “It wasn't my intention to do, either. I can't imagine how difficult life is for the people affected in Mindanao and how difficult it is to be the president of the Philippines at this moment. Once again, I am very sorry for all those people I have offended. May God bless us all," she tweeted.
Meanwhile, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said on ABS-CBN's "TV Patrol" on Monday, December 19, that the President only stayed at the party for few minutes and left immediately.
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