Palace: Kiko-Aquino Dee not pro-Marcos

Malacañang on Thursday slammed Senator Alan Peter Cayetano for telling civil society leader Francis “Kiko” Aquino-Dee not to get instructions from the Marcos administration.

In a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro said that Cayetano’s statement has no basis and only creates intrigue.

Cayetano on Wednesday advised Aquino-Dee, grandson of late president Corazon Aquino and the late senator Ninoy Aquino, to remember who he is—that he is an Aquino, not “Kiko Dee-Marcos.”

This came after coalition Tindig Pilipinas, which Aquino-Dee leads, filed a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman for obstruction of justice against Cayetano, Senator Robin Padilla and suspended acting Senate sergeant-at-arms Mao Aplasca, over the May 13 shooting incident at the Senate.

“Kilala naman po niya siguro si Mr. Kiko Dee na Aquino talaga. So, kaya nga po siguro nagsampa ng kaso dahil Aquino siya, dahil gusto rin niyang mapanagot ang dapat na mapanagot,” Castro said.

(Cayetano probably knows Mr. Kiko Dee is really an Aquino. So, maybe that's why he filed the case because he is an Aquino, because he also wants to hold the perpetrators accountable.)

“Mababanggit natin si Mr. Kiko Dee-Aquino ay hindi po siya maka-PBBM. Isa po siyang madalas mag-criticize sa gobyerno,” she added.

(We’d like to note that Mr. Kiko Aquino-Dee does not support President Marcos. He is someone who often criticizes the government.)

The Palace Press Officer thus cautioned the public against the statement of Cayetano.

“Ang sinasabi ni Senator Alan Cayetano ay puro pang-iintriga, walang basehan, walang pinanghuhugutan. So, sana po ang mga kababayan natin ay matuto na ha, matuto at malaman nila kung sino ba ‘yung nagsasabi nang may kabuluhan,” she said.

"What Senator Alan Cayetano is saying is pure intrigue, baseless, and unsubstantiated. So, I hope our countrymen will learn and find out who is really saying something with meaning.)

Selective justice?

Castro further refuted the claim of Cayetano that the government is practicing selective justice and wants to set aside other issues of corruption, particularly the flood control mess, and solely focus on the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte.

“Sino naman po ang nagsabi sa kaniya na magkakaroon lang ng focus sa impeachment trial ni Bise Presidente? Nakita na po natin kung papaano gumalaw ang NBI, ang Ombudsman, ang DOJ,” she said.

(Who told him that there will only be a focus on the impeachment trial of the Vice President? We have seen how the NBI, the Ombudsman, the DOJ works.)

“Siguro po, tutal mahilig naman po siyang mag-socmed, busy siya sa Facebook, siguro makikita naman po niya ‘yung mga updates kung ano ang nangyayari, kung paano gumagalaw at nagtatrabaho ang gobyerno para mapanagot ang dapat na mapanagot at hindi po focused sa impeachment trial,” she continued.

(Maybe since he likes social media, he's busy on using Facebook, maybe he'll see the updates on what's going on there—how the government is working to hold the perpetrators accountable and will not focus on the impeachment trial.)

Castro said that whenever President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. holds a meeting with Cabinet officials, impeachment matters are not even being discussed.

“Saan po kaya hinuhugot ng dating Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano ang kanyang mga kuwento? Siguro sa susunod po ay tanungin ninyo—kaya lang puro Facebook yata po siya ‘no? So hindi ninyo siya matatanong,” she said.

(Where does former Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano get his stories from? Maybe next time you ask him. But he keeps on using Facebook, so you won’t be able to ask him right?)

“Siguro kapag nagkaroon ng pagkakataon, tanungin ninyo siya saan niya kinukuha ‘yung mga kuwento niya.”

(Maybe when you get a chance, ask him where he gets his stories from.) —RF, GMA News