“ALL we want is the truth, but what we got were flat denials. The President and his extraordinary league of political minions are in the state of denials.”
The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), a group of small fishermen who submitted a letter of appeal to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday to investigate allegations that President Benigno Simeon Aquino is using Philhealth cards and other government resources to campaign for Liberal Party bets in the May 2013 elections
President Aquino on Thursday said he is very careful not to use government funds in the campaign sortie of LP bets implying that he used his own money to finance the logistics of his presidential security guards and staff who were with him during the pro-administration rallies held at Plaza Miranda in Manila and in other provinces namely Laguna, Cavite and Batangas where Team Pnoy had their initial sorties.
On the same day, cabinet secretaries led by communications secretary Renato Coloma, Secretary Jose Rene Almendras and Health Secretary Enrique Ona and Palace spokespersons Atty. Edwin Lacierda and Abigail Valte denied accusations that President Aquino was using Philhealth cards and other government resources. The Palace press officials charged Pamalakaya and two other groups— Anakpawis partylist and Unyon ng Mga Manggagawa sa Agrikultura (UMA) of electioneering.
Comelec chairperson Atty. Sixto Brillantes Jr. also defended President Aquino asserting there nothing wrong with distribution of Philhealth cards during election campaign since it is part of the function of the government to deliver health services to the people and that President Aquino cannot be investigated because he enjoys immunity from investigation and suit.
“They are ganging up on us the way Aquino gangland style of politics operates. All we want is for Comelec to uncover reported anomalies as to use of Philhealth cards and other government resources which is not only illegal and immoral but also run against national interest and public moral.
The issue is not addressed by Aquino and his allies. Instead the President and his political cohorts resorted to Jurassic political mudslinging and verbal abuse to cover up for Malacanang’s election related violations and crimes,” said Pamalakaya vice chairperson Salvador Ftance in a press statement.
Aside from the use of Philhealth cards, Pamalakaya, Anakpawis partylist and UMA had also asked why the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH0 was rushing the bidding of more than P 100 billion worth of infrastructure projects, saying construction of these projects may take a back seat and appropirately be resumed after the May 2013 polls to stop Malacanang from using these projects to generate billions of pesos worth of commissions or prevent local government officials from having their names pegged in these DPWH projects to advance their political ambition via the May 2013 polls.
“As far as we are concerned we are raising legitimate issues and concerns imbued with public interest. We are not here to sow intrigues. We just want the truth, and nothing but the truth. If Aquino and company want to live with their checkered past and present sinister agenda to the people, then the future won’t be bright to nearly 100 million Filipinos,” added France.
Anakpawis party list, Pamalakaya and UMA was referring to the distribution of Philhealth cards and 3 kilos of rice took place in the town of Loon in Bohol province, the timing of which, was questioned by UNA spokesperson Rep. Tiangco (Navotas City) since it was on the same day it had its provincial sortie in the province.
According to the groups, this is not the first time President Aquino made news about his active and open involvement in the campaign of LP senatorial bets.
They maintained that few days before the start of the election campaign for national candidates, the President led the distribution of Philhealth cards in areas controlled by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
“The act is deemed an invitation to the Moro community to vote for the senatorial candidates of LP in the May 2013 elections,” the groups pointed out.
Pamalakaya leaders asserted that Comelec chair Brillantes Jr and the rest of the commissioners should exercise extra vigilance and exert legal, political and moral efforts to remind and restrain the Mr. Aquino from using the Office of the President and taxpayers’ resources to campaign for and advance the candidacy of allies and partymates of Mr.Aquino running in the May 2013 elections.
“Mr. Honorable chair, the President has been on a super roadshow political campaign since the start of the campaign season. How much did the government spent for the campaign sortie of LP during the proclamation rally last February 12? How much did the Office of the President spent for the LP campaign sortie in Laguna and Cavite last week? Did he get the funds from his own pocket” they asked.
Anakpawis partylist, UMA and Pamalakaya reminded Comelec that the Fair Elections Act of 2001 or RA 9006 strictly prohibits the use of government funds or state resources on election purposes or any act that would constitute partisan politics.
“On the political and moral side of the equation, public interest bars the Chief Executive from engaging in partisan politics such as open endorsement of favored candidates and putting priority to the electoral sorties of adminsitration backed candidates instead of exhaustively running the day-to-day affairs of the state,” they said.
The groups lamented that the practice of distributing Philhealth cards by President Aquino and the blatant use of the Office of the President to campaign for favored bets is the same immoral practice carried out by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the national elections of 2004, 2007 and 2010 .
“And the Filipino public has repeatedly rebuked these politically motivated adventures for the narrow interest of the ruling party in Malacanang,” the groups said in their letter to Comelec chair.
Likewise, Pamalakaya, UMA and Anakpawis also noted that on top of distribution of Philhealth cards, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is racing against time to seal the approval and execution of more than P 100-B worth of infrastructure projects ahead of the election ban. \
“What is the agenda of the DPWH in rushing these infra projects to beat the election ban?” they said.
According to the groups: ” The completion of these projects, as far as we are concerned, can be carried out after the May 2013 elections to prevent the incumbent from using hard-earned taxpayers’ money from promoting Palace backed wannabes in the May 2013 polls or gain commissions to finance the candidacy of favored bets by the incumbent”.