MANILA -- Where was President Benigno S. Aquino III on Sunday evening, as the people of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities and several other areas in Visayas and Mindanao grappled with the devastation of tropical storm Sendong? Apparently, partying with his security personnel in Malacanang, enjoying the jokes and performances of actresses.
This was according to a post on Twitter by actress Valerie Concepcion on Sunday, the same day the combined death toll in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan climbed to more than 600.
“Done w/ work.. Tnx for having me.. :) It was nice to see Pres. P-Noy laughing at my jokes & enjoying my performance..ü #Malacañang #PSGNight," Concepcion said in her tweet that has since been deleted as of posting time.
In her series of tweets, Concepcion said she was performing three songs for the President and was alongside singer Jessa Zaragosa, who was one of the performers.
InterAksyon.com called the Presidential Security Group early Monday and confirmed that the PSG Christmas party was indeed held in Malacanang Sunday night. But the PSG personnel, who refused to be identified, said he was "not authorized to say if the President" was there.
But the President's brief stay at the PSG Christmas party was also confirmed by Manuel Quezon III, undersecretary of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office, who had earlier tried to dismiss the allegations that Aquino was out partying with actresses in Malacanang instead of helping the victims of tropical storm Sendong in €Mindanao. Aquino was at the party for only 30 minutes, he added.
Quezon also tried to justify the President's presence at the party as his way of being with those "who saved his life." "It couldn't be canceled (unlike the annual Cabinet Xmas Party scheduled for tonight, which was canceled yesterday afternoon, so funds could go to relief),” he said Monday on his Twitter account.
After several queries on Twitter, Quezon initially said that the PSG Christmas party was held last December 10, not December 18 as actress Valerie Concepcion revealed in her message on the microblogging site.
-Interaksyon News 5
REACTION:
I think, President Aquino should prioritize first the victims of the typhoon Sendong before going to the party in Malacañang with some celebrities. He should show support to the people who was devastated by the typhoon and he should make a plan on how to help them recover from this calamity. As a president, he should do his jobs first and not to hear jokes from the celebrities while the whole nation mourns. He should make a plan immediately specially because the number of deaths increases day by day. He should make a plan on how to dispose the dead bodies that were found because this becomes a threat to the health of the people. He should make a way to supply food and water to the victims of the typhoon. Just think of what will people tell to him? The whole nation mourns while he is having fun at the Malacañang? Where is President Aquino when the nation needs him?
Walang komento:
Mag-post ng isang Komento