BY JAMES KONSTANTIN GALVEZ Reporter (The Manila Times )
Link: http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/top-stories/15703-no-bribery-attempt-during-lakas-meeting
Malacañang on Tuesday denied allegations that “money changed hands” during a recent meeting of lawmakers belonging to Lakas-Kampi Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) that was personally attended by President Gloria Arroyo.
During a press briefing in Malacañang, Press Undersecretary for Broadcast Roger Peyuan dismissed alleged bribery attempts by the executive committee of Lakas-Kampi CMD on some 130 lawmakers who attended the meeting at Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City (Metro Manila) on Monday.
“Wala kaming nalalaman na pagkakataon sa pagpupulong na iyon na tinalakay ang usapan sa pananalapi. At lalong hinding-hindi nagkabigayan sa pagpupulong na iyan [We don’t know anything about money being discussed during that meeting. And definitely, nothing was given out to anyone there],” Peyuan said.
“Marahil ang mga bagay na may kaugnayan sa mga pangangailangan nila at kakulangan ng kanilang pangkampaya at pag-ayuda ng partido ay bahagi lang ng kanilang mga tinatalakay. Pero walang usapang ganito sa loob ng 30-minute stay ni Pangulo [Perhaps things related to campaign needs and the support from the leadership for the party’s candidates were tackled. But nothing irregular happened during the President’s 30-minute stay at the meeting],” he added.
Reports started circulating after the meeting that the 130 or so lawmakers under the Lakas-Kampi CMD banner each received P100 to P200.
The amount allegedly was meant to ensure the party members’ “loyalty and commitment” to the election of its standard-bearer Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro in next month’s balloting.
But Peyuan insisted that no money was passed around and that the meeting was held only to show Teodoro that they will remain behind him and that they are committed to have him elected as the next president of the country.
He reiterated that the congressmen only took last-minute instructions from party leaders, particularly on what to do on election day.
The lawmakers, Peyuan said, also discussed several moves on how to intensify the campaign of Teodoro and other candidates of Lakas-Kampi CMD in the homestretch of the elections.
He also denied reports that President Arroyo “cracked the whip” to serve notice to the lawmakers that she was aiming to become Speaker if she got elected to the House of Representatives representing the second district of her home province of Pampanga.
“There has been no discussion about this [disciplining of the lawmakers] during the meeting. What the President did was part of the so-called ‘party discipline.’ It is only right that the President should be the one to remind the party members about their loyalty and commitment,” Peyuan said.
Mrs. Arroyo reining in the members of the administration party apparently stemmed from recent departures of a few stalwarts from Lakas-Kampi CMD.
The defections seemed not to have adversely affected Teodoro’s bid for the presidency, at least based on a recent survey.
The online poll conducted by BusinessWorld showed the administration candidate getting 26.50 percent of the 102,057 votes, placing him on top, followed by former President and Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino bet Joseph “Erap” Estrada with 25.77 percent.
Sen. Manuel “Manny” Villar Jr. of the Nacionalista Party (NP) placed third (19.07 percent) and Liberal Party standard-bearer Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino 3rd, fourth (18.62 percent).
The BusinessWorld online survey, the latest in a series of independent, “non-mainstream” tracking polls, was conducted during the time when some members of the ruling party who earlier vowed to support Teodoro in his candidacy defected and supported other candidates for president.
Among those who abandoned the Lakas-Kampi CMD bet were Gov. Jose “Joey” Salceda of Albay, who decided to support Aquino, and Rep. Eric Singson of Ilocos Sur, who jumped to the NP.
Teodoro also got the top post in an online survey conducted by Manila Bulletin last week, garnering a hefty 47-percent share of the total votes cast.
In the 1st Quarter 2010 ING Investor Dashboard Survey, he came in No. 2 with 28 percent, next to Aquino, who got 37 percent.
In a nationwide poll reportedly done with the assistance of the European Union and the US Federation of International Entrepreneurs between March 1 and 30, Teodoro was also at No. 2 with 22.87 percent, next to Villar with 24.7 percent. Aquino was third with 19 percent and Estrada, fourth with 9 percent.
With report from Jefferson Antiporda
Link: http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/top-stories/15703-no-bribery-attempt-during-lakas-meeting
Malacañang on Tuesday denied allegations that “money changed hands” during a recent meeting of lawmakers belonging to Lakas-Kampi Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) that was personally attended by President Gloria Arroyo.
During a press briefing in Malacañang, Press Undersecretary for Broadcast Roger Peyuan dismissed alleged bribery attempts by the executive committee of Lakas-Kampi CMD on some 130 lawmakers who attended the meeting at Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City (Metro Manila) on Monday.
“Wala kaming nalalaman na pagkakataon sa pagpupulong na iyon na tinalakay ang usapan sa pananalapi. At lalong hinding-hindi nagkabigayan sa pagpupulong na iyan [We don’t know anything about money being discussed during that meeting. And definitely, nothing was given out to anyone there],” Peyuan said.
“Marahil ang mga bagay na may kaugnayan sa mga pangangailangan nila at kakulangan ng kanilang pangkampaya at pag-ayuda ng partido ay bahagi lang ng kanilang mga tinatalakay. Pero walang usapang ganito sa loob ng 30-minute stay ni Pangulo [Perhaps things related to campaign needs and the support from the leadership for the party’s candidates were tackled. But nothing irregular happened during the President’s 30-minute stay at the meeting],” he added.
Reports started circulating after the meeting that the 130 or so lawmakers under the Lakas-Kampi CMD banner each received P100 to P200.
The amount allegedly was meant to ensure the party members’ “loyalty and commitment” to the election of its standard-bearer Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro in next month’s balloting.
But Peyuan insisted that no money was passed around and that the meeting was held only to show Teodoro that they will remain behind him and that they are committed to have him elected as the next president of the country.
He reiterated that the congressmen only took last-minute instructions from party leaders, particularly on what to do on election day.
The lawmakers, Peyuan said, also discussed several moves on how to intensify the campaign of Teodoro and other candidates of Lakas-Kampi CMD in the homestretch of the elections.
He also denied reports that President Arroyo “cracked the whip” to serve notice to the lawmakers that she was aiming to become Speaker if she got elected to the House of Representatives representing the second district of her home province of Pampanga.
“There has been no discussion about this [disciplining of the lawmakers] during the meeting. What the President did was part of the so-called ‘party discipline.’ It is only right that the President should be the one to remind the party members about their loyalty and commitment,” Peyuan said.
Mrs. Arroyo reining in the members of the administration party apparently stemmed from recent departures of a few stalwarts from Lakas-Kampi CMD.
The defections seemed not to have adversely affected Teodoro’s bid for the presidency, at least based on a recent survey.
The online poll conducted by BusinessWorld showed the administration candidate getting 26.50 percent of the 102,057 votes, placing him on top, followed by former President and Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino bet Joseph “Erap” Estrada with 25.77 percent.
Sen. Manuel “Manny” Villar Jr. of the Nacionalista Party (NP) placed third (19.07 percent) and Liberal Party standard-bearer Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino 3rd, fourth (18.62 percent).
The BusinessWorld online survey, the latest in a series of independent, “non-mainstream” tracking polls, was conducted during the time when some members of the ruling party who earlier vowed to support Teodoro in his candidacy defected and supported other candidates for president.
Among those who abandoned the Lakas-Kampi CMD bet were Gov. Jose “Joey” Salceda of Albay, who decided to support Aquino, and Rep. Eric Singson of Ilocos Sur, who jumped to the NP.
Teodoro also got the top post in an online survey conducted by Manila Bulletin last week, garnering a hefty 47-percent share of the total votes cast.
In the 1st Quarter 2010 ING Investor Dashboard Survey, he came in No. 2 with 28 percent, next to Aquino, who got 37 percent.
In a nationwide poll reportedly done with the assistance of the European Union and the US Federation of International Entrepreneurs between March 1 and 30, Teodoro was also at No. 2 with 22.87 percent, next to Villar with 24.7 percent. Aquino was third with 19 percent and Estrada, fourth with 9 percent.
With report from Jefferson Antiporda
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