MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino was apparently miffed by questions on the supposed government plot to kill Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, branding it a work of fiction.
Aquino dared the Arroyo camp to show proof of a “Put the Little Girl to Sleep” plot against the former president.
“We will not comment on work of fiction. Maybe to everyone listening here, motivation is important. What will be our possible motive to do something like that?” Aquino remarked, adding that he appeared “insane” enough answering questions about it.
“You must remember that our promise was conviction for those who committed offenses. We cannot convict if the accused is no longer there,” Aquino told reporters after the awarding of outstanding overseas Filipino workers at Malacañang.
Asked if there was a need to investigate the issue, Aquino said: “If they have proof, present it.”
“That’s why the first thing I told you was that this was a work of fiction... so what will be our benefit if the accused is no longer around in this case? So there is no closure, isn’t it? There will be no trial if there is no accused. If there is no trial, there is no closure; if there is no closure, the problem continues,” he said.
Budget Secretary Florencio Abad told ANC that Elena Bautista-Horn, Arroyo’s spokesperson, should seek psychiatric help.
Abad denied Horn’s allegations that he was the one who suggested the plot to neutralize the former president.
“I have a suggestion to Len Horn. While she is at St. Luke’s (Medical Center), get a psychiatrist to check on herself because I think she is the one with serious problems. (She’s) confusing the situation right now,” Abad said.
He added the Arroyo camp was sowing intrigue and that Horn must be ignored completely.
Abad said the Arroyo camp was suffering from paranoia and that the allegations were “absurd” and funny.
Abad said Horn’s statements should not be dignified with a response and that the Arroyo camp was becoming “desperate” to escape the charges against them and “they’ve been trying all sorts of maneuvering and schemes, including lying, to try and evade all these serious charges that people are waiting for her to confront.”
“To this day, they have not succeeded in confusing the people so now they are the ones who are confused. I think they ran out of medical and legal excuses to prevent Arroyo from being detained in a government hospital or any government facility where she belongs. That is the pure and simple reason,” he said.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda also said on ANC on Wednesday that the allegations made by Arroyo’s camp were merely an excuse to avoid getting transferred to a government hospital or detention facility.
“This is a product of small minds. It’s practically a complete fabrication… so many lies have been thrown by her spokesperson to the public. The public is sick and tired of their lies. They don’t believe the camp of Arroyo anymore,” Lacierda said.
He said the Aquino administration was only working to have Arroyo face the charges of electoral sabotage filed against her.
“We want her to face trial, we want her to be accountable. We do not want her to go the easy way out,” Lacierda said.
Vice President Jejomar Binay said the government would not allow any harm to come to Arroyo.
Binay also laughed off claims of Arroyo’s camp on the threat against the life of the former president.
Binay challenged Horn to name her source.
Horn said on Wednesday a “very reliable source” from a government agency contacted Arroyo’s camp several days ago to warn them about the supposed plot.
She claimed their source had warned them to be careful about the food being served to Arroyo, who has been confined at the St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig City while facing poll fraud case before a Pasay City regional trial court.
The court has ordered the transfer of Arroyo to the government-run Veterans Memorial Medical Center (VMMC) in Quezon City.
Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo said the Arroyo camp should reveal the source of the alleged death threat so as to allow government authorities to secure the former president.
Robredo said the death threat against Arroyo, as revealed by her spokesperson, would support the position of the prosecution to place her in the government-run hospital.
“If they do (reveal the source then), we will conduct an immediate investigation on the matter,” he said.
Robredo said he is ready to order the Philippine National Police (PNP) to conduct an investigation on the alleged threat on Arroyo.
The Department of National Defense (DND), which supervises the operations of VMMC, said they do not have any information about the supposed plot to kill Arroyo.
However, they would provide the necessary accommodation, medical care and courtesy fit for the former president at the VMMC, Defense spokesman Peter Paul Galvez said.
Galvez said Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin did not issue special instructions on the transfer of Arroyo to the VMMC.
“He (Gazmin) just said that we are ready for every circumstance,” Galvez said.
‘She felt danger’
Former first gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo and Horn said they are still taking precautions but admitted that they would have to rely on police personnel watching over Arroyo.
“She feels she is in danger,” Mr. Arroyo said. “If they put her at the Veterans (hospital), we don’t know what could happen, they (administration) control the facility.”
Mr. Arroyo said if his wife remains at St. Luke’s, there is “a little more protection” since it is a private facility and the hospital would not want to destroy its reputation.
Horn, for her part, said Arroyo has a private nurse, who can observe some of the minor medical procedures as their source said some substance could be placed in her food or her IV drip.
“We will continue to rely on the professionalism and integrity of the PNP that has been looking after her since she was served the (arrest) warrant,” Horn said.
As to the demand of Robredo to reveal the source, Mr. Arroyo and Horn said they could not reveal the identity of the source, as it would put the life of the person in danger.
Mr. Arroyo and Horn also hit Robredo and other officials for their “callous” and “insensitive” reaction to the report of the possible assassination of the former leader.
“You can easily see their mindset in their initial reaction. Instead of assuring us of protection and ordering an investigation, they were sarcastic and challenging and criticizing us,” Horn said.
“Now they’re trying to do damage control, and saying (Arroyo) would be safe,” she said.
Answering the challenge of Abad to take a psychiatric test, Horn said administration officials were taking things personally.
“I’m completely sane. I think he (Abad) should accompany me (if I take that test),” she said.
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said Malacañang should investigate the threat claims even though this appears to be farfetched.
Enrile said that it would be in the best interest of Malacañang to conduct an investigation into the claims because if anything happens to Arroyo, all fingers will point towards their direction.
Enrile said it does not make sense for the administration to be involved in such a plot, especially when it has already initiated a case against the former president.
“What would be gained by anybody, by Malacañang, to harm the former president? It would be silly for them to be filing a case against her. It is rather improbable unless we assume that the people in Malacañang are crazy, which I don’t think they are, I don’t think Malacañang will do such a thing,” he added.
Enrile also urged the camp of Arroyo to reveal the source of the alleged plot just to be fair to the other side.
He said that the matter is very serious, especially if the threat is real, because it can create a national and political problem for the country.
Sen. Francis Escudero also urged Horn and the Arroyo camp to reveal their source and take the necessary legal actions against whoever is behind the plot.
“It is very irresponsible to just say that there is a plot based on nothing,” Escudero said.
“Further, I hope they are not trying to build up an ‘ambush me’ scenario,” he added.
Opposition lawmaker Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez said Arroyo’s camp could have overreacted to reports that there is a threat on her life.
Suarez said it was possible that the unnamed government official who reported the alleged plot to kill Arroyo may have taken seriously mean jokes from administration officials.
“It’s possible that there was a gathering of high government officials and there were some private jokes, some mean and nasty, and that was taken too seriously by a conscientious one,” Suarez said.
“Even if GMA (Arroyo) was a good president, she is unpopular and some are angry with her, including those in the administration, but I don’t think it has reached a point where they want to kill her,” he said.
“What good would it do to the administration if something bad happens to her?”
The Department of Justice (DOJ), however, played down the claims of Arroyo’s camp.
“That seems to be the height of paranoia already,” Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said.
“Where did that (plot) really come from? What are they insinuating – that the alleged death threat came from the government?” she asked.
Asked if she believes the death threat issue was created to justify Arroyo’s bid for house arrest, De Lima replied: “I really don’t know.” –With Jose Rodel Clapano, Edu Punay, Paolo Romero, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Marvin Sy, Jess Diaz, Alexis Romero