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Monday, October 31, 2005
Palace denies US report on Arroyo order to PSG
MANILA -- "Simply because it came from the US Embassy, it does not mean that it's true."
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita issued the statement Sunday in reaction to alleged reports from the US Embassy that President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had been wary of some members of the Presidential Security Group (PSG) whom she reportedly ordered be unarmed whenever they approach her.
Ermita said if anyone should have known about the reports and orders from the President, it should be him because he holds office in Malacañang.
He said all reports supposedly coming from the US should not be taken as true as he cited the alleged US report claiming that former president Fidel Ramos was behind coup plots against the President.
He said Ramos, aside from denying it, was angry upon learning of the report.
Verify report
However, Ermita said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is likely to coordinate with the US Embassy in Manila about the report to verify and determine where it came from.
An August 8 report allegedly sent by the US Embassy to Washington said Arroyo, at the height of controversies hounding her following her admission of calling up an election officer during the 2004 canvassing and the resignation of some of her Cabinet officials, had directed the PSG to leave their weapons in their armories so that no one could approach her with a gun.
The report is believed to be part of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) files that were allegedly acquired and sent to Filipino officials by Filipino-American intelligence analyst Leandro Aragoncillo.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye defended the President's security men, saying their loyalty is unsullied.
Bunye said the report is likely to have come from the opposition, adding that the media should have more prudence and a sense of responsibility in treating such stories.
"We call on the opposition to respect the military and the police and give them due credit for keeping our nation--our democratic way of life--safe," he added. (JMR/Sunnex)
(October 31, 2005 issue)
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