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Opposition to expose ‘damaging’ issues vs Aquino govt


The opposition bloc is set to expose three “damaging" issues concerning the administration of President Benigno Aquino III, a minority lawmaker said Thursday. Deputy Minority Leader Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez said the minority party will make the revelations in response to the supposedly “vindictive" offensive being launched by the Aquino government against allies of former President and incumbent Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. “These are issues of concern that we think should be addressed. It appears that officers of the previous administration are being singled out. Kung hindi kami magre-react, baka lalong magpatuloy ito," he told GMA News Online in phone interview. He said the revelations will cover “governance issues" concerning the administration, but refused to talk any further on the matter until appropriate resolutions calling for investigations have been filed in Congress. Suarez said the order to expose such issues came from the leadership of the minority Lakas-Kampi-CMD party. “The orders came from the leadership of the party. We wanted to be a cooperative minority at the start, but we expected respect among officers of the previous administration," he said. However, Sen. Ramon Bong Revilla Jr., Lakas-Kampi-CMD president, denied giving any marching orders to the party “to lock horns" with the administration. “The party remains an ally of the current administration in all its efforts to alleviate every Filipino’s living condition, eradicate corruption in the government, and improve the country’s economic situation while continuing to play its role as a check and balance," he said in a statement. GMA News Online contacted Lakas-Kampi chairperson Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman regarding the matter, but he has yet to give any comment as of posting time. The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) filed earlier this month tax evasion complaints against Mrs. Arroyo’s son, Ang Galing Pinoy party-list Rep. Juan Miguel “Mikey" Arroyo, and his wife. The younger Arroyo dismissed the tax evasion charges as “political harassment" from the Aquino administration, saying he was slapped with the complaints without due process. President Aquino himself denied singling out the party-list representative and advised him to just show proof that he indeed did not commit tax evasion. - KBK, GMA News