Joker: Palace moves ‘cheapen’ presidency By Angie M. Rosales 09/06/2010

AQUINO TAKING FULL RESPONSIBILITY ‘AMOUNTS TO NOTHING’ 

Joker: Palace moves ‘cheapen’ presidency

By Angie M. Rosales
09/06/2010

President Aquino’s taking full responsibility for the botched hostage rescue operations amounts to nothing and the Palace efforts to drum it up cheapened the presidency, Sen. Joker Arroyo, a former executive secretary of Aquino’s mother former President Corazon Aquino, said yesterday.

“It cheapens the presidency,” Arroyo said in criticizing what he described as the apparent publicity stunt executed by Aquino’s advisers to defuse public outrage over the authorities’ mishandling of the Aug. 23 hostage incident.

Arroyo said Palace officials’ pronouncements that Aquino “is not resigning because he received a clear mandate” made matters worse.

“It’s a good sound bite. It’s good to the image of the President but it amounts to nothing,” Arroyo said adding that such statement made by Presidential Communications Sec. Herminio Coloma, was unnecessary.

“When he said that he’s accepting full responsibility, it doesn’t mean that those subject to investigation are already exonerated. The probe continues. So what’s the effect of that statement?” he asked.... MORE

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100906hed1.html