CUEVAS / LLAMAS WON'T GET AXED
[PHOTO - President Benigno
S. Aquino III. EDWIN BACASMAS "Frankly, I don't think that issue is worthy of
any comment," the President told reporters after attending a celebration of the
25th anniversary of the Philippine Information Agency at its offices in Quezon
City.]
MANILA,
FEBRUARY 2, 2012 (INQUIRER)
President Benigno Aquino said Wednesday that he did not send anyone to talk to
retired Justice Serafin Cuevas.
The Chief Executive was reacting to an Inquirer report quoting Cuevas as
saying that a Palace emissary had asked him to quit as chief defense counsel in
the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona in exchange for the
dropping of charges against sacked National Bureau of Investigation chief
Magtanggol Gatdula. Both Cuevas and Gatdula are members of the Iglesia ni
Cristo.
Cuevas denied making the statement, which the Inquirer however had recorded.
Asked whether the INC had lobbied for Gatdula, Aquino replied that the
Gatdula case and the impeachment trial were "not connected".
Aquino said Gatdula's case was driven by evidence and "not by any desire of a
person or a group of person."
He insisted that his relationship with the INC was "okay" and "good."
"We are talking to each other," he said.
FROM THE TRIBUNE
Llamas won't get Noy's ax 02/02/2012
Ronald Llamas' position as presidential political adviser is not
under threat despite his involvement in the pirated DVD controversy.
President Aquino yesterday said Llamas has remained effective insofar as
delivering the results that is expected of him is concerned.
"He still performs the role that he was brought into the Cabinet for, so
therefore he does enjoy the trust," he added.
According to the President, whatever Llamas got himself into is not in any
way connected with the job description which has been relegated to him as
presidential adviser.
Aquino, however, stressed Llamas would still have to cave in to whatever
sanction is in store for him pending the investigation on his reported purchase
of pirated DVDs in Quezon City.
"It (the DVD issue) is not connected with his core function. But, having said
that, there are sanctions that should be levied," Aquino added.
The Presidential Communi-cations Operations Office earlier had advised
Malacañang reporters that the Office of the Executive Secretary started
"investigating" Llamas over the incident last Jan. 27.
"I understand that the committee that I tasked, the group that I tasked, will
be submitting the recommendations by Friday" Aquino said.
Llamas, who was with his two close-in security details, was earlier caught on
camera while buying some P2,000 worth of pirated DVDs in a Quezon City mall.
Various sectors have since been calling for Llamas' resignation, which
prompted Malacañang to create a probe panel in an apparent effort to subdue
pressures.
Aquino was earlier quoted as saying: "Sorry if the DVD issue would come as
the least of my priorities."
Sometime last year, Llamas was also involved in a controversy when his
vehicle yielded high-powered assault rifles after a road accident in Quezon
City.
Llamas' Mistubishi Montero, then being used by two of his security aides,
figured in an accident on Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City — and yielded a
Czech-made CZ-858 Tactical semiautomatic assault rifle in the ensuing police
investigation.
Llamas had just left the country to attend a United Nations conference abroad
when the accident took place. He later admitted having licenses for three
handguns and two long firearms, but maintained that he had strictly instructed
his aides not to take the guns outside his house while he was abroad.
Llamas, a shooting range buddy of the President, got Malacañang to help him
explain as to the logic on the need to have those high-powered firearms.
He cited security risks surrounding the nature of his Palace job.
Police cleared Llamas of any criminal liability but charged his security
escorts with illegal possession of firearms. Fernan J.
Angeles
Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE
NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS
ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE
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