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Cabinet execs deny rift caused poor hostage crisis response


(UPDATED 3:50 p.m.) After the Justice department restricted premature disclosures on the investigation of the August 23 Manila hostage crisis, government officials either denied or refused to comment on rumors that a Cabinet rift caused the poor handling of the hostage crisis. Justice Secretary Leila de Lima earlier instructed government officials not to make premature disclosures about the investigation of the August 23 hostage-taking incident, where eight Hong Kong tourists were killed. On that day, a dismissed senior police inspector, Rolando Mendoza, hijacked a bus with 21 Hong Kong tourists and four Filipinos. After an 11-hour standoff, Mendoza and eight Hong Kong tourists were killed. Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said speculation that factions within the administration of President Benigno Simeon Aquino III caused the poor handling of the August 23 hostage crisis was "totally blown out of proportion." "Ang sinasabing Balay Group and Samar group was during the campaign pero lahat kami ngayon ay nagtatrabaho para kay Pangulong Aquino (The Balay Group and Samar group you're talking about was during the campaign but we're all working for President Aquino)," he said in a press briefing in Malacañang on Wednesday. He said the two secretaries of Aquino's communications group, Ricky Carandang and Sonny Coloma, who reportedly belong to different factions of Aquino supporters, worked together with the President during the hostage crisis. There were reportedly two factions within Aquino's camp during the campaign period: (1) the Balay group, which reportedly supported Aquino's defeated running mate Senator Manuel "Mar" Roxas II; the group's headquarters during the campaign period was located in the Roxases' Balay complex in Cubao, Quezon City, and (2) the Samar group, which allegedly supported then Makati City Mayor and now Vice-President Jejomar Binay; the group's office was in a mansion along Samar Avenue in Quezon City. Previous news reports also hinted at a "Balay-Samar division" in the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG). Aquino reportedly assigned different responsibilities to Secretary Jesse Robredo and DILG Undersecretary Rico Puno because they belong to different factions. Robredo, who allegedly belongs to the Balay group, was reportedly told to focus on improving the local government system. Puno, reportedly belonging to the Samar group, was allegedly assigned to oversee police matters. The Philippine National Police is an attached agency of the DILG. "Let me state that during the campaign Secretary Jesse Robredo was a member of the executive committee. Si Usec. Rico Puno was part of the sorties that traveled with the president," said Lacierda. "We believe everybody is working for the president and that's the most important thing." Cabinet factions Meanwhile, in an in interview on dzBB on Wednesday, Jesse Robredo, Secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), dismissed speculations that an alleged rift between factions in the Cabinet resulted in the poor handling of the hostage crisis. "Ang grupo ko lang Pangulong Noynoy, wala nang iba. Di maiwasan may pinagsamahan dati (pero) nasa administrasyon kami ni Pangulong Noynoy, isang grupo lang ito (I belong to the group of President Aquino, and nowhere else. There may have been groupings before, but now we are under Aquino's administration so we should work as one group)," he said. Robredo appealed to the public not to speculate about divisions in the Cabinet allegedly caused by election-related incidents. "Di naman tama iugnay sa halalan noong nakaraan (It is not fair to make speculations based on what happened during the elections)," he said. Robredo as a member of the investigating committee Meanwhile, Robredo defended his being named as member of the committee investigating the hostage case. Some sectors questioned Robredo's role in the investigating body, saying he should have been grilled for failing to marshal the police to resolve the crisis. "Kahapon ipinaliwanag ni Pangulong Noynoy bakit ako kasama sa magiimbestiga, bilang namumuno ng Napolcom at may administrative authority magimbestiga sa kapulisan (Yesterday, President Aquino explained why I was in the investigating committee. It was in my capacity as National Police Commission head and as administrative authority supervising the Philippine National Police)," he said. Robredo also explained his absence at the start of National Crime Prevention Week in Metro Manila, saying he attended a similar event in Davao City. An earlier report by dzBB's Sam Nielsen said Napolcom vice chairman Eduardo Escueta did not give media an explanation for Robredo's absence. "Aaminin ko kahapon ko lang nakuha ang invitation sa Manila. Lumipad ako 5:30 a.m., itong commitment sa Davao pinagsabay nila tatlong occasions (I have to admit it was only now that I was informed of the invitation to the Manila event. I left for Davao at 5:30 a.m. today)," Robredo said. Other government officials keep mum Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman declined to comment on whether a perceived division among Cabinet members allegedly led poor handling of the crisis. In an interview on dzBB radio, Soliman said, "Di ko nakikita ang elemento na nakaapekto, (pero) unang-una binanggit ni [Justice] Sec. De Lima na hangga't maari siya ang magsasabi kung ano ang facts sa investigation para isa lang ang pinanggagalingan. So ayoko magkumento sa pangyayari." (I do not see any element that adversely affected our handling of the situation, but first I must point out that Secretary De Lima that only she will talk about the findings of the investigation. So I do not want to comment on the matter.) During the crisis, she said she gave instructions that the released hostages be cared for. She also helped give critical stress debriefing to them. After the hostage crisis, she assisted the survivors and helped in tracking where the remains of the killed hostages were brought until they were safely flown back to Hong Kong. "All concerned agencies – Department of Health, Department of Tourism, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Foreign Affairs at DILG – did their job," she said. — with Jam Sisante, LBG/VVP/HS, GMANews.TV
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