‘Palace not engaged in horse-trading’

Malacañang denied yesterday allegations by the political opposition that the Arroyo administration was engaged in horse-trading in offering the foreign affairs portfolio to opposition Sen. Blas Ople.

Acting Press Secretary Silvestre Afable maintained that the reported back channel talks held by Presidential Adviser on Media Affairs Dante Ang with Ople was not authorized by President Arroyo.

"In the first place, this is not the official position of the President. This was done by friends of the President on informal basis," Afable told reporters.

"The Palace is not really involved in dangling positions or in horse-trading. We are in the business of institutional politics. And the President has never ordered or authorized anybody to dangle position or to trade positions for partisan considerations," Afable said.

He earlier confirmed reports that Ang met with Ople in San Francisco, California to persuade him to accept the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) post, vacated by the resignation of Vice President Guingona in his concurrent capacity as a Cabinet secretary.

"There were no formal offer made to Senator Ople," Afable stressed.

Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Carlos Padilla belittled the defection for three allies of deposed President Joseph Estrada to the Arroyo camp by calling them "opposition bench warmers" and "political butterflies."

Padilla, a stalwart of the opposition party Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino, said the defectors were "not even genuine oppositionists."

Padilla was referring to former Interior and Local Government Secretary Ronaldo Puno, his brother Ricardo Puno who served as Estrada’s Press Secretary, and Jose Jaime Policarpio, former Presidential Legislative Liaison Officer.

Padilla said the trio were "no longer a force to reckon with."

He charged that Ronaldo Puno, whose tenure was marred by corruption charges, and Policarpio who was implicated in a multi-million-peso illegal bribery were even major factors to Estrada’s downfall.

Padilla also recalled that Ricardo Puno fared poorly in his senatorial bid despite full backing by Estrada.–Marichu Villanueva, Charlie Lagasca