Aquino offers posts to whistle-blower Mendoza

President Benigno Aquino III met with former state auditor Heidi Mendoza Monday night and offered her “several options" in his administration. “I talked to Heidi Mendoza last night and as I did mention last week, I’ll talk to her, I will ask her if she’s still interested [in joining my government]," Aquino said Tuesday at the sidelines of a medical and dental mission for his 51st birthday. Aquino, however, refused to divulge the positions he offered to Mendoza, widely praised for her bravery in exposing the alleged corruption in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). “Can I wait until she says yes?" Aquino said. “But I gave her several options and she will tell me which of the options she is comfortable with, if she’s comfortable with any of them." Mendoza, when she was with the Commission on Audit (COA), followed the money trail of transactions by former military comptroller Carlos F. Garcia, who is facing a P303-million plunder suit before the Sandiganbayan. She is now jobless after leaving her post at the Asian Development Bank in preparation for her testimony against Garcia in congressional hearings. Aquino said Mendoza has yet to accept the offer because she wants to consult with her family first. “She gave us some of her parameters and she’s thinking about whether or not to join government again," he said. “One interesting [thing] she did say was when she decided to come out in the open again, resigned her position, she did not consult her family. So ayaw naman daw niyang ulitin ‘to lalo na kung babalik siya sa gobyerno (so she didn’t want to do it again if ever she rejoins the government)," the President added. Aquino said that during their meeting, Mendoza narrated to him the stress and pressure she and her family have been going through as a result of her appearance in congressional investigations. He said he told Mendoza that a government job is not a “bed of roses." “So I would want her to think about it fully well and it will not be a bed of roses if she accepts government employment again," the President said. — KBK GMA News