Aquino a ‘hypocrite;’ Arroyo presidency ‘more transparent’ than his admin – ex-solon

Milagros “Mitos” Magsaysay. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – A vocal critic of the administration said the term of former president Gloria Arroyo is “more transparent” than that of Benigno Aquino III.

During the “Usaping Balita” news forum on Thursday, Mitos Magsaysay cited her stint as Zambales representative in the 13th and 14th Congress when Arroyo’s administration was supposedly hands-off on congressional hearings which involved its Cabinet members.

“The number one function of Congress is oversight over the executive. But that opportunity was not given to us,” Magsaysay said, recalling her experience as 15^th Congress lawmaker under the Aquino administration.

“Mas transparent si GMA (Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) in the sense that kung sakaling magkakaroon ng anomalies sa pamahalaan niya, hinahayaan niya kami (Arroyo’s term was more transparent in the sense that she allows the House to investigate anomalies involving her government),” she added.

But Magsaysay seemed to have forgotten that former president Arroyo once issued an Executive Order prohibiting government officials from testifying in Congress without Palace approval. Arroyo at the time was accused of diverting fertilizer funds to her 2004 campaign kitty. She was eventually cleared by the Ombudsman.

Magsaysay is often quoted defending Arroyo, who is now Pampanga representative.

Magsaysay was once under Arroyo’s party Lakas-CMD before she bolted to the Partido ng Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) under the United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) for her senatorial bid in 2013. She lost.

The former lawmaker further chastised the current administration for its alleged “hypocrisy” on the freedom of information (FOI) bill, which has languished in the House of Representatives even as the president once called it his priority measure.

The lower house has yet to consolidate the different versions of FOI even as the Senate has passed its own version.

“PNoy (Aquino) is a hypocrite, that’s all I can say. Why pass it when your term is over? Why not pass it while it is still ongoing?” Magsaysay said.

Malacañang has committed its support for the FOI, but only in 2015, a year before Aquino’s term ends.

“If he’s not hiding anything, why is he so afraid of the FOI bill?” she added in Filipino.

RELATED STORIES

Mitos Magsaysay hits Aquino’s ‘pride and arrogance’ in tackling Sabah crisis

Aquino gov’t to blame for continued oil smuggling—Mitos Magsaysay

Rep. Magsaysay confronts budget secretary on pork barrel, cries