LP cries foul over Annabelle's swipe

by KRIS BAYOS (Manila Bulletin)

http://mb.com.ph/articles/246844/lp-cries-foul-over-annabelles-swipe-kri

The Liberal Party cried foul Monday after actress Annabelle Rama took a swipe at the presidential bid of Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III by alleging that Aquino’s sister, TV host Kris Aquino-Yap, harshly treated her daughter Ruffa Gutierrez during their Sunday talk show.

Liberal Party campaign manager and former education secretary Florencio “Butch” Abad said it is unfair for Senator Aquino to be dragged into the controversies involving his youngest sister, especially when he is not involved in the show to begin with.

It was reported that Rama was behind her daughter’s walking out of Kris’ longtime show “The Buzz” last Sunday. Rama said she pulled Ruffa out of the show because of Kris’ alleged hostile treatment of her daughter.

Describing Kris as arrogant, Rama appealed to the public not to vote for the 50-year-old lawmaker from Tarlac, claiming that Kris can become more arrogant if her brother gets elected as president.

Rama was quoted as saying that, “I urge the public not to vote for Noynoy because he’s still only a candidate and yet his sister already acts as if she owns showbiz.”

But according to Abad, “it is not fair to put the blame on Senator Noynoy for something that happened to Kris. Misunderstanding and controversies are not new to her since these are the very nature of show business and we are confident that Kris as a veteran actress can sort this out as she had done in the past controversies.”

It was the second time that Senator Aquino was dragged into showbiz controversies involving Kris, the first one being the alleged confrontation between Kris and the rumored girlfriend of her husband, basketball star James Yap.

Relatives of Yap’s rumored girlfriend also said they will not vote for Senator Aquino because of Kris’ alleged attitude.

Abad said there is no need for the LP or Senator Aquino to talk to his sister about the possible effects of the controversies to her brother’s image.

“There is no need to talk to Kris. We believe that the voters are intelligent enough to base their votes on character and track record. We are confident that Filipinos are mature enough to tell the difference,” he said.

As of press time, Kris has not yet issued an official statement to explain her side of the story but in her Twitter account (iamkrisaquino), the television host invited the public to review their show last Sunday.

She said her comment to Gutierrez was made “with affection and a sense of fun.”

“If they will choose to lambast my brother who was not even on The Buzz, it makes me wonder what the true agenda is — para siraan si Noy (to discredit Noy)?” she said. “I'd like to believe Filipino voters are intelligent and will continue supporting Noy because he is the best man for the job.”