‘Bunye knew about office equipment pullout’

The Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) described yesterday as "grossly inaccurate" an earlier report that the squabble over office space at Malacañang between presidential chief of staff Rigoberto Tiglao and Press Secretary Hernani Braganza left Presidential Spokesman Ignacio Bunye with nothing but borrowed equipment and furniture to work with.

"It is unfortunate that The STAR misinterpreted the pullout of the equipment from the office of Secretary Bunye as having been done without his prior knowledge. Nothing can be farther from the truth," Assistant Secretary for Administration and Finance Cornelio Baliao Jr. said in a statement.

He explained that the OPS "has been retrieving its equipment and furniture from other offices for its own use because it has no capital outlay in its current annual budget to buy new ones."

However, Baliao pointed out that Braganza "made specific instructions that no equipment that are needed by the offices of Secretary Bunye and Secretary Tiglao should be pulled out until they can have their own."

The equipment pulled out last Mar. 13, according to Baliao, were those listed in an inventory of equipment by Bunye’s staff secretary, Marilyn Santelices, as no longer needed by their office. The process of taking inventory, he added, is a normal one taken by the OPS, particularly during the transition from one press secretary to another.

"In fact, these equipment had already been moved out of the office of Secretary Bunye and were blocking the corridor when OPS personnel arrived to take them out of the building," Baliao said.

Santelices retired recently from the OPS, he noted, and most of the equipment retrieved are mostly under her accountability.

"She is now working on her office clearance for retirement purposes," Baliao said.

Earlier, Bunye was reportedly being stripped of office equipment and furniture, as well as losing office personnel detailed to him when he was the head of the OPS.

Bunye’s office is the converted anteroom to former First Lady Imelda Marcos’ bedroom.

He had taken over from Tiglao, who was designated by Mrs. Arroyo to be her full-time chief of staff at the Office of the President. Braganza, on the other hand, was transferred from his post as agrarian reform chief to become her new press secretary.

When The STAR visited him at his office, Bunye appeared to be not the least perturbed as his office furniture and some office equipment were being taken out by OPS personnel.

"I just ordered one set of new desks and other equipment for my office," Bunye said, adding that he was told by the supplier that it will take about a month before the furniture will be delivered to his office.

In the meantime, Bunye said he has requested the OPS to lend him the remaining office furniture and equipment.

Bunye stands to have the office equipment and furniture of Tiglao, who was his immediate predecessor as presidential spokesperson.

Tiglao, however, brought the equipment and furniture with him to his new office as presidential chief of staff. Carlos Rivero, Tiglao’s chief of staff, had sequestered Bunye’s office equipment and furniture and took them to Tiglao’s new office.

Tiglao, whose powers and functions were earlier expanded by the President under Administrative Order 62, holds office in the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos’ bedroom.

Reached by The STAR yesterday, Tiglao said he was not aware that these things were happening at Bunye’s expense.

"Grabe! Ewan ko, wala akong kinalaman diyan. Hindi ko alam," Tiglao said.

Some of the equipment being used by Bunye were also OPS property and were being moved to Braganza’s office at Arlegui Street, just across Malacañang’s Gate 7.

The STAR tried to get in touch with Braganza yesterday but was told by his secretary that her boss was undergoing "lab tests." Barely a month into office, Braganza went on official leave last Feb. 25 and has not been around since.

Tiglao had refused to share office space with Braganza, who in turn asked the President that he be given space at the Kalayaan building, which is an annex of the Palace proper.