Arroyo transfer triggers Robredo-Horn word war

MANILA, Philippines—A word war is escalating between Interior Secretary Jesse M. Robredo and Elena Bautista Horn, the spokesperson of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

A day after Robredo accused Horn of lying when she told reporters the Arroyo camp had not been informed of a plan to transport her by helicopter to the Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City from St. Luke’s Medical Center in Taguig, she retaliated by saying the Department of Interior and Local Government and the Philippine National Police had been remiss in their duties.

On Saturday, Horn talked to media about her disenchantment with the government and the apparent absence of anybody “in charge.” She cited the 2010 Manila hostage crisis, at the height of which Robredo and the DILG had taken much flak for the botched response of the PNP under its supervision.

But Robredo laughed off Horn’s statements.

“That is what you do when you are caught with your pants down: Divert attention from the lies you peddled,” he said in text messages to the Inquirer.

Robredo wrote “Horn continues to lie!” and proceeded to itemize what he described as untruths from the Arroyo spokesperson.

“One, not true that they were not informed of air conveyance. Two, not true that there was no senior police official at St. Luke’s” on the day Arroyo was to be transferred, he said.

He said Dr. Hermie Salangad, deputy chief of the PNP Health Services Directorate, was with Arroyo at St. Luke’s from the morning until she was taken to the Veterans  past 3 o’clock in the afternoon.

“She in fact joined the convoy to VMMC and constantly apprised us of situation from St. Luke’s,” Robredo said of Salangad.