Gina de Venecia, daughter quit gov't posts

Georgina de Venecia, wife of ousted House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr, and her daughter Carissa Cruz-Evangelista have quit their government positions. Interviewed by GMA News on Tuesday, Mrs De Venecia said she gave up her job as consultant to the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) while Carissa resigned as undersecretary of the the Department of Trade and Industry. Carissa is Georgina's daughter in her first marriage. She was concurrently the manager of DTI's One Town One Product program. "Wala na rin akong trust and confidence dito sa mga nangyayaring ito," Georgina said. According to her, the events that rocked the Arroyo administration following the ouster of her husband on Feb. 4 were totally unexpected. Asked what advise she could give to the Arroyo administration at this point, Mrs De Venecia said it should listen to the clamor of the people. "Kung makikita ko na wala nang tiwala ang taumbayan sa akin, magre-resign po ako," she said. Her husband said earlier in the day that he was not backing fresh calls for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to resign and that he was giving her time to lead the "moral recovery" that he has long been espousing. Mrs. De Venecia said it was during these trying times that she was able to find her true friends. “’Yung mga kaibigan ko when I’m down andiyan ho sila para sa akin," she said. Mrs. De Venecia was interviewed during a dinner Tuesday night with television personalities Kris Aquino and Boy Abunda who campaigned for Mrs. Arroyo in 2004. The get-together, which was also attended by Kris Aquino's husband, James Yap, served as a double celebration for the birthdays of Kris (Feb. 14) and Mrs. De Venecia (Feb 15). "When everything was happening sabi ko ‘Boy 'di ba ang friendship should know no politics’. So sabi ko tawagan namin si Manay, yayain natin siya, eat out tayo," the daughter of former President Corazon Aquino told GMA News during the interview. Aquino and Abunda clarified that their show of support to De Venecia has no political color. “Kung ano man ang pagsubok na dadaan sa buhay niya, it would be nothing to losing KC," Aquino added referring to Mrs. De Venecia's daughter with the former speaker. Kristina Casimira died at 16 years old in a fire that razed the De Venecia home in posh Dasmarinas Village on Dec. 17, 2004. - Amita Legaspi, GMANews.TV