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Friday, April 02, 2004
FPJ berates TV reporter for 'stealing' crowd's attention
NEGATIVE impressions on action king Fernando Poe Jr.'s temper was reinforced when he berated a television reporter for supposedly "stealing" the crowd's attention from him while he was delivering a speech during a rally at Tigbauan, Iloilo early evening Thursday.
Poe, the standard bearer of the opposition Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP), was addressing the crowd from a makeshift stage at the plaza when GMA-7 reporter Sandra Aguinaldo positioned herself behind him to deliver a "stand-upper" for her report.
Apparently distracted by Aguinaldo's presence, Poe stopped talking and offered the microphone to her and said, "Baka gusto mo'ng magsalita? (Would you like to speak?)."
At first, Aguinaldo said she thought Poe was only joking. But when she realized that he was already angry, she moved away. "Ang mata niya galit talaga. Ako'y umatras na," Aguinaldo said in a radio interview.
The TV reporter, who has been covering Poe's campaign trail, said she positioned herself in such a way that the camera will capture Poe speaking before the crowd.
When she explained what she was doing, Aguinaldo said, Poe told her, "Sa 'yo na nakatingin ang mga tawo (The people were already looking at you)."
Aguinaldo said she told Poe it was not her intention to attract the crowd's attention. "Hindi ko sinasadya. Ginagawa ko lang ang trabaho ko."
Senators Loren Legarda and Vicente Sotto III then approached them, she said, and Sotto told her to apologize.
If you will ask for an apology, this would be over, she quoted Sotto as telling her. Aguinaldo said she refused as she was insulted by the senator's suggestion.
She added that she explained her position to Legarda who somehow understood what she was doing.
Aguinaldo said she eventually stopped explaining when Poe also quit talking.
'Not his intention'
Sorsogon Rep. Francisco Escudero III, KNP spokesperson, however, defended Poe, saying it was not his intention to embarrass or put down Aguinaldo.
"Hindi niya intensyon na mambastos. Gusto lang niya bigyan ng rason ang nagaganap na ganoon sa likod niya," he said.
Escudero said Poe was distracted by the reporter's action, prompting him to call her attention.
"Normal lang na paminsan-minsan nawawalan ng balanse. Hindi naman siya galit talaga. He was just disappointed with what had happened," he said.
Morever, Escudero said they already expect the administration party to exploit the issue against Poe.
Poe held a rally at the southern Iloilo town, where its political kingpin businessman Jaime Torres is running for congressman under the Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP), a member of the KNP coalition.
Before that, the KNP candidates held a sortie in Antique.
After their rally in Tigbauan, Poe and his partymates proceeded to Iloilo City, where they will hold a grand rally at the Freedom Grandstand at 6 p.m. Friday night. NLG
(April 2, 2004 issue)
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