Palace downplays PNoy’s Cabinet ‘headaches’

Malacañang on Saturday downplayed speculations on who were the three Cabinet members President Benigno Aquino III considers as headaches, hinting that the head of state may have been misunderstood. Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said Aquino may have been trying to highlight the “good characteristics" of three other Cabinet officials when he made the claim last Thursday. [See story: Aquino finds 3 Cabinet members a big burden] “I’d hazard a guess: he was trying to highlight the good characteristics ng tatlong secretary na binanggit niya... Kino-compare in contrast para umangat ang tatlo na binigyan niya ng papuri," Valte said on government-run dzRB radio. She also hinted Aquino’s claims could have been made in jest, as she rejected a Catholic bishop’s suggestion the president must fire Cabinet members who are “out of tune." Lipa (Batangas) Archbishop Ramon Arguelles had suggested that Cabinet members who are out of tune or inefficient “should be removed from their post immediately." “Siguro exaggeration ang [sinasabing] 'performing out oftune' doon sa maliit na pagbibiro ng pangulo. Alam ninyo si Pangulong Aquino mapagbiro yan," Valte said. On Thursday, Aquino said “two to three" Cabinet secretaries kept giving him headaches for habitually bringing him “bad news" instead of solutions to problems. In his speech at the Department of Public Works and Highways’ 113th anniversary, Aquino said the “headaches" were in stark contrast to secretaries Rogelio Singson (Public Works), Florencio Abad (Budget) and Mario Montejo (Science), who he lauded for their good work. But Valte said Aquino may have been referring to the bad news brought by some secretaries and not the secretaries themselves. “Honestly noong nakita ko ang transcript ng speech ni Pangulong Aquino, it was more or less a reference to the bad news ng department. Meron namang mga nangyayaring nagbibigay ng masamang balita, hindi in reference to the person or secretary," she said. Secretaries ask, 'was it me?' Valte acknowledged Aquino’s statements had caused some members of Aquino’s official family to wonder if they are among the presidential headaches. She cited a report where National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council head Benito Ramos had wondered if he was one of the headaches Aquino was alluding to. “Sabi niya [Ramos] 'baka ako, kasi tuwing nagkita kami puro masamang balita and sinasabi ko'," Valte quoted Ramos as saying. On the other hand, Valte declined to comment on speculations about other supposed headaches in the Cabinet, including a reported claim by Sen. Franklin Drilon that Land Transportation Office head Virginia Torres is a heavy deadweight for the Aquino administration. Valte added that while the Palace respects the senator’s opinion, everyone should wait for the report of the Justice Department’s fact-finding body reviewing Torres’s case. “We will always have differences of opinion pagdating sa performance ng Cabinet officials. We respect his [Drilon's] opinion but as of now, tulad ng sinabi ni Pangulong Aquino, may pag-aaral sa fact-finding report ng DOJ. Siguro hintayin natin ang magiging reslta ng pag-aaral," she said. Valte also insisted, “ Alam ng Pangulo na kasama sa trabaho yan. Being in the executive, hindi laging good news ... Kailangan (may) bad news para mabigyan ng solusyon ang problemang ito," she said. — MRT, GMA News