When he gets back from the United States next week, President Benigno Aquino III's priority will be the Incident Investigation and Review Committee (IIRC) report on the August 23 hostage crisis and not the jueteng controversy that allegedly involves some of his trusted officials.
At a press briefing in Malacañang on Tuesday, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said there were "more pressing concerns" like the release of the IIRC report and the preparation for the president's weeklong United States working visit so Aquino was most likely not able to talk to his close friend Interior Secretary Rico Puno regarding allegations that Puno was a recipient of jueteng payola.
Aquino flew to the US Monday night for a weeklong stay that will include various business conferences and the United Nations summit on the millennium development goals. He is set to return to the country on September 28.
Retired Lingayen-Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz claimed in a Senate hearing Tuesday that Puno and former Philippine National Police chief Jesus Verzosa, both trusted officials of Aquino, were on the payroll of jueteng operators.
Lacierda said the president will be informed of Cruz's revelations. "I’m very certain that he will be able to discuss this after he arrives," he said.
Lacierda, however, noted that the president mentioned that the "number one priority after he arrives" will be the IIRC report and the legal review being conducted by the offices of Executive Secretary Paquito "Jojo" Ochoa Jr. and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Ed de Mesa.
Incidentally, Puno and Verzosa are also involved in the hostage crisis that led to the deaths of eight Chinese tourists from Hong Kong and the hostage-taker, dismissed policeman Rolando Mendoza. The IIRC recommended that sanctions be imposed on them and a handful of other officials for the poor handling of the incident.
Still trusted by PNoy
The president still trusts Puno despite the controversies the undersecretary is involved in, Lacierda said.
"To the best of my knowledge, he still has the trust of the President," said Lacierda.
Aquino said last week that he still has confidence in Puno, his longtime friend and shooting buddy, pending the conclusion of investigations. The president, however, said he will not spare Puno if the latter is found guilty of wrongdoing.
Lacierda said Palace officials will await the president's instructions regarding the developments in the jueteng controversy. But this early, Lacierda cleared the president of involvement in Cruz's allegation that the president's cousin Antonio "Tonyboy" Cojuangco told him to "take it easy" on Puno.
"He has no control over what the actions and conduct of his relatives are and I think that should not be imputed on the president himself," Lacierda said. He added: "I know for a fact that he does not talk to his relatives regarding that. He has made it a point to keep his blood relatives out of government as much as possible."
Cojuangco, the chairman and president of Mantrade Development Corp., is part of Aquino's business delegation to the US.
In the last elections, Cojuangco was the biggest campaign donor of Aquino. Records from the Commission on Elections showed that he contributed P100 million to Aquino's campaign kitty. — RSJ/KBK
