Arroyo’s Davao visit ‘disrupts’ Noynoy sortie twice

DAVAO CITY – President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on two occasions managed to disrupt the visit here of presidential candidate Sen. Benigno Simeon “Noynoy" Aquino III. Aquino’s camp was forced to make changes to his itinerary Tuesday night after learning this city was to be a no-fly zone until 11 a.m. Wednesday. A second disruption came in the afternoon when Aquino and his running-mate in the Liberal Party (LP), Sen. Manuel “Mar" Roxas II, visited to a top official in Sultan Kudarat province only to find him unavailable because of a presidential invitation. Roxas said Sultan Kudarat Governor Suharto “Teng" Mangudadatu left his office upon President Arroyo’s invitation. "Example yan ng style ni GMA (This is just President Arroyo’s style)," he said. Members of the Mangudadatu clan lost kin and supporters to a grisly massacre that killed at least 57 people, including 32 journalists, in Ampatuan town in Maguindanao last November 23. President Arroyo was in Davao City for her Super Regions performance evaluation. No-fly zone The no-fly zone rule is a security precaution taken to protect the president from possible attacks and security threats. On Wednesday, Aquino and Roxas were to fly via helicopter at 10 a.m. to Sultan Kudarat from Davao for a students’ forum at the Sultan Kudarat Polytechnic State University in Tacurong City. They were also scheduled to hold a multi-sectoral dialogue at the Isulan municipal gym in Sultan Kudarat, before heading for Digos City. Instead of the 10 a.m. flight, Aquino and Roxas’ handlers scheduled instead a market tour in Davao City until the no-fly zone has been lifted. Coincidence Malacañang, meanwhile, said President Arroyo’s visit in Davao on the same day that the Liberal Party was having a sortie there was just a coincidence. “It was just a coincidence. Mag-aabala pa ba si PGMA na sundan sila (Why would President Arroyo exert effort to follow them there?)," said Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita in a press briefing Wednesday. He said President Arroyo is busy with her Super Regions legacy tour to pay attention to the ongoing campaign of presidential bets, including the administration’s standard-bearer, Gilberto “Gibo" Teodoro Jr. “She believes Gibo can stand on his two feet and the machinery of the party can support his campaign," Ermita said. - KBK/RSJ, GMANews.TV