Shut up, Gonzalez, Defensor told

A congressional ally of President Arroyo urged Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, Environment Secretary Mike Defensor and Cabinet Secretary Ricardo Saludo to shut up on the raging political crisis.

The more the three open their mouths, the more damage they cause the presidency "in their overzealous defense of the President," Cebu City Rep. Antonio Cuenco said in a statement yesterday.

He said unless the three "ramblers, tattlers and babblers" shut up, they were bound to commit "more slips and tumbles."

Though Cuenco did not name the three, he was clearly referring to them in his statement.

He said one Cabinet member had challenged opposition lawmakers to quit if recordings of wiretapped conversations are found to be fake, and if the tapes turn out to be authentic, it is Mrs. Arroyo who will resign.

Such a challenge was made last week by Defensor and was accepted by the opposition. But Presidential Management Staff chief Rigoberto Tiglao, one of the President’s spokesmen on the current crisis, has said it was just Defensor’s personal opinion.

"This is silly and pointless and completely unnecessary. Now, opposition senators and congressmen have taken up the challenge. Has this issue become a betting or dare game?" Cuenco asked.

He said another Cabinet member, referring to Gonzalez, has been threatening to file criminal complaints against those in possession of the controversial tapes and ring tones but has not charged anyone so far.

Not content with threats, "this Cabinet member made a derisive and rude remark about a former president of this republic (Corazon Cojuangco Aquino), hitting the presidential daughter turned actress and commercial model (Kris Aquino), instead of squarely addressing the issue presented by the former president. This is clearly out-of-line and disrespectful," he said.

Gonzalez has apologized to Mrs. Aquino for his remarks.

Cuenco said "a Cabinet secretary (Saludo) figured in a shouting match with a former senator and counsel of former President Estrada (referring to Rene Saguisag) in a late night television show."

"He better stop guesting in TV shows if condescending views are the only things he could present, other than his overgrown beard, to defend the President. He tends to antagonize more people than contributing positive sparks to improve the President’s sagging popularity," he said.

Cuenco pointed out that the best defense for Mrs. Arroyo that her Cabinet members and allies in Congress can come up "is to speed up constitutional, political and economic reforms."

"Focus on the economy and good governance, not empty and unnecessary media projections. PGMA looks much better without them opening their mouths at this time and engaging in excessive and overzealous defense of the presidency," he stressed.

He also chided his administration colleagues for coveting the House posts and committee chairmanships held by Liberal Party members who have joined the call for Mrs. Arroyo’s resignation.

"We are not locked in a war with LP members; they remain as our allies," he said.

Majority Leader Prospero Nograles has called for a purge of "renegades."

Deputy Speaker Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, who heads the LP bloc in the House, has said he was willing to relinquish his post any time.