Malacanang: No calls for Binay allies in gov’t to resign

MANILA – A Palace official has denied allegations that the Aquino administration is “harassing” government officials associated with Vice President Jejomar Binay.
Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said there is “no such call from the Palace.”
“Had the VP diligently read the transcript of Usec. Valte and not merely rely on his minions to spin, he would not have arrived at his inaccurate conclusion,” he stressed.

Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte, in an interview over state-run radio station DZRB, said that based on her understanding, “any time that a Cabinet Secretary resigns from a portfolio or a position, it is conventional for his team, the team that he brought in, to also tender their courtesy resignation to the President.”
This, she noted, is to “give whoever will be (the) next (official) a free hand in running that particular office or that particular portfolio.”
She, however, stressed that “in this particular case, we would leave it to the people concerned to reflect if this norm will be followed by them.”
Binay was previously the Chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and Presidential Adviser for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) Concerns.
He was the one who recommended for the appointment of HUDCC consultant Chito Borromeo, Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG) president Darlene Marie Berberabe, National Home Mortgage Finance Corp. president Felixberto Bustos Jr., Home Guaranty Corp. president Manuel Sanchez, and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) executive officer Antonio Bernardo.
On allegations that the Aquino government is actually implementing bad governance, Lacierda said Binay earlier cited the positive results of the current government’s reform agenda.
Quoting the Vice President’s speech during the country’s hosting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in May 2014, Lacierda said Binay “acknowledged the positive impact of the reforms initiated by President Aquino.”
“These reforms triggered renewed interest in the Philippines and a re-appraisal of our economic potentials. We therefore make our commitment to continue and, if needed, expand the reforms initiated by President Aquino beyond 2016,” Binay added.
With these quotes coming from Binay’s mouth, Lacierda then questioned who between President Benigno Aquino III and Binay is telling lies.
He said the Vice President “continues to attack the President because he refuses to answer convincingly all allegations of corruption and ill-gotten wealth against him.”
“We have yet to hear a response other than “pulitika lang yan” (it’s just politics). So we say to his camp in dishing out lies against the President – “Bring it on.”