Akbayan remains allied with Aquino administration —Palace

Malacanang is not the least bit worried in the face of Akbayan Rep. Walden Bello’s impending resignation, Palace spokesperson Herminio Coloma Jr. said Thursday, saying it was a personal decision that does not affect the Akbayan partylist as a whole.

 

“Ayon po sa mismong mga kasamahan ni Representative Bello sa Akbayan partylist, ito ay personal na desisyon ni Kinatawang Walden Bello na iginagalang nila at iginagalang din naman natin,” Coloma said in a press briefing. 

 

Bello, an administration ally-turned-critic, is set to resign as the representative of Akbayan party-list in the House of Representatives after officially severing ties with Malacañang over President Benigno Aquino III’s alleged “brazen cover-up” of his role in the controversial Mamasapano police operation.

 

But Coloma stressed that Bello’s decision is not the party’s decision, and that as far as Malacanang is concerned, Akbayan remained allied with President Aquino.

 

“Hindi naman ito nagpapahiwatig ng paghina ‘nung pakikiisa ng Akbayan sapagkat patuloy naman silang naglilingkod sa pamahalaan at patuloy pa rin nilang itinuturing ang kanilang pangkat o organisasyon bilang kaalyado ng pamahalaang Aquino,” Coloma said.

 

Bello’s decision to leave the administration coalition followed Aquino’s claim at a prayer gathering in Malacañang Monday that he was “fooled” by sacked Special Action Force (SAF) Director Getulio Napeñas by giving him wrong information about the covert police operation in Mamasapano, Maguindanao last Jan. 25.

 

The SAF mission, dubbed “Oplan Exodus,” resulted cost the lives of 44 SAF troopers, 18 Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) members and five civilians.

 

Despite Bello’s move however, Coloma said the President won’t likely conduct a loyalty check among his allies, insisting that Bello’s resignation is an isolated case.

 

“Internal matter lang ‘yan ng Akbayan partylist. Hindi kailangan [ng loyalty check,]” Coloma said. —NB, GMA News