Arroyo, Escudero paired at Nograles wedding

DAVAO CITY — President Arroyo found herself marching by the side of a staunch critic, Rep. Francis "Chiz" Escudero, at the wedding of Karlo Nograles, eldest son of House Majority Leader Prospero Nograles in Davao yesterday.

Nograles wed Margarita Montemayor, daughter of Philippine Sports Commission officer Leon Montemayor at the St. Joseph the Worker Parish church here.

Escudero said former Ambassador Eduardo Cojuangco, a principal sponsor, asked him to proxy for him at the wedding.

"Let us not put political color in the wedding. This is an event for two people who are getting married and this is not about politics," Escudero told reporters upon his arrival here yesterday afternoon.

Escudero explained that he obliged Cojuangco’s request because they both belong to the National People’s Coalition (NPC), which Cojuangco chairs.

Escudero told The STAR he didn’t have any idea that he would be paired with the President when he agreed to represent Cojuangco at the wedding.

"I never really had any inkling at first that it would be with the President. I was only told later and here I am now," Escudero said, adding that Mrs. Arroyo was one of the principal sponsors in his own wedding.

Apparently, Escudero was the only opposition congressman who attended the wedding yesterday although Las Piñas Rep. Cynthia Villar was also among the principal sponsors.

Speaker Jose de Venecia was likewise absent in the wedding ceremonies and was represented by Gabriel Claudio, presidential liaison to Congress, as principal sponsor.

The President arrived here with the First Gentleman Mike Arroyo at around 3:45 p.m. just in time for the 4 p.m. nuptials.

Both Mrs. Arroyo and Escudero, however, opted to forgo the reception at the Apo View Hotel and flew back to Manila last night in separate private planes.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Arroyo’s attendance at the wedding in Davao created a minor furor at the NAIA.

Passengers of a Manila-bound Gulf Air flight from Dubai complained about the diversion of their flight to the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) in Clark, Pampanga due to the closing of the NAIA runway for the private jet landing and takeoff of flights bearing Mrs. Arroyo for Davao.

Gulf Air flight GF 154 was scheduled to land at the NAIA at 1:55 p.m. but had to make an unscheduled detour to Clark, Pampanga yesterday afternoon when the flight was prevented from landing by the NAIA air control tower at around 1:30 p.m.

The unexpected detour to Pampanga resulted in GF 154 finally arriving at the NAIA at 4:42 p.m., to the frustration of a number of Filipino balikbayans, especially those who had to take a connecting domestic flight to their provinces.

NAIA insiders, however, defended the closure of the runway for landing and takeoffs for 30 minutes to give way to presidential flights, saying it is a usual security measure observed for the safety of the President. — With Paolo Romero, Rainier Allan Ronda