‘Noy not afraid to be jailed’

MANILA, Philippines – President Aquino has been strongly pushing for the candidacy of administration bets not because he is afraid of going to jail after his term but because he wants his reforms continued, Malacañang said yesterday.

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. brushed aside rumors that the outgoing Chief Executive has been persistent in joining the sorties of Manuel Roxas II and his runningmate, Camarines Sur Rep. Leni Robredo, due to fears that he might suffer the fate of his predecessors Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada.

Coloma said Aquino is not afraid “of such thing because he has been serving honestly and with integrity.”

“President Aquino is pushing for the election of leaders who could continue good governance and the straight path policy of the administration,” Coloma said.

In a speech in Chicago in May last year, Aquino acknowledged the possibility of him being charged in court and eventually jailed.

Last month, Aquino also revealed that due to his tough anti-corruption drive, his critics, particularly those he had booted out for huge embezzlement, have threatened him with harm the moment he steps down from office on June 30.

Aquino filed two plunder cases against Arroyo, forced the resignation of former ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez and had former chief justice Renato Corona convicted by the impeachment court in May 2012.

Aquino’s father, former senator Benigno Aquino Jr., was jailed by the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos during martial law in the 1970s while his grandfather, Benigno Sr., was accused of collaboration during the Japanese occupation in World War II and briefly detained.

“I’m the only politician in my family’s generation. I might be the next to be jailed,” the Aquino joked.

If this happens, Aquino said he prefers to be jailed at The Fort, a posh business district in Taguig City, which used to be a military facility.

Use of helicopter

Meanwhile, actress Kris Aquino was criticized yesterday after online photos circulated showing her using the presidential helicopter to campaign for Roxas and Robredo.

The photos, which were uploaded on Facebook, showed the presidential sister accompanied by people who appeared to be her aides.

Kris was wearing a yellow shirt and black pants.

In one photo, a female companion of Aquino wearing what looked like the LP campaign shirt was seen disembarking from the helicopter while an Air Force soldier looked on.

A certain “Peshmerga Abs,” who claimed that the incident happened last Tuesday in Dalaguete, Cebu, shared the photos.  

These were lifted from an album of the Facebook page of the Municipality of Dalaguete, titled “His Excellency President P-Noy with Kris @ Casay Airstrip.”  

“This will make you swear in anger. They are using government resources for the campaign,” the uploader said in Filipino.

Malacañang defended Kris, saying members of the President’s immediate family are allowed to ride with him in official government vehicles.

Coloma said Kris accompanied the President first in Bustos and Meycauayan, Bulacan last Friday, then in Samar on Monday and in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental and Argao, Cebu on Tuesday.

Sought for comment, Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid spokesman Ibarra Gutierrez said the imputation that Kris was being ferried by helicopter “is rather malicious.”

“It seemed that it was the President being escorted and that she was simply accompanying him,” Gutierrez told The STAR.

“The President is obviously always going to travel in a military or government chopper. If she was accompanying the President, then the chopper was not there for her, but for P-Noy,” he added.

Kris’ photos surfaced a few days after a video showing envelopes being distributed at a campaign rally of the Liberal Party went viral.

The distribution of envelopes allegedly happened during a sortie on March 31 in Pikit, North Cotabato. The video showed an unidentified male emcee asking the crowd to chant “Oras na, Roxas na! (It’s Roxas’ time).”

The emcee told members of the audience that they would not receive their envelopes if their cheer for Roxas was not loud enough. The emcee was also seen giving an envelope to a woman who seemed to have answered a trivia question.

Critics believe the envelope contained cash but this remains unverified. – With Alexis Romero, Aurea Calica