Nobody home? But there’s nothing left at home

Was there really “nobody home”? Or was it a case of “nothing’s left at home”?

Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s diatribe against her successor has triggered an online “catfight” between an Arroyo congressional ally and one of President Benigno Aquino III’s rotating mouthpieces.

House Deputy Minority Leader Milagros Magsaysay and deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte on Saturday flooded Twitter with some heated exchanges in defense of their respective leaders.

Arroyo, who is now a House member representing Pampanga, held a press conference on Friday where she assailed Mr. Aquino’s leadership which, she noted, one columnist had characterized as “nobody home”.

In a media forum in the state-run Radyo ng Bayan Saturday, Valte threw Arroyo’s “nobody home”—a phrase in popular English idiom that means someone is not mentally present or is not paying attention—right back at her.

“It’s not that there’s nobody home—there was nothing left at home,” said the Palace spokesperson, alluding to a long-running theme of the Aquino administration that its predecessor was unremittingly corrupt.

The former President warned of “danger signs” that the economic gains from the reforms that she had instituted may not be sustained because of Mr. Aquino’s inability or disinclination to build on them.

Magsaysay, who appeared to have been monitoring Valte’s statements on radio, went on the attack in her Twitter account: “After one year in office, we are being run on auto pilot. Question is, who is at the controls?”

“Can’t be blaming others [for] your incompetence forever. Time to own up [to your] shortcomings. Act positively on [them] and move on,” the Zambales representative added.

It turned out that Valte was just getting warmed up.

“We failed to build on their gains? Please let us know who gained in those nine years other than yourself and your favored few,” she tweeted.

“Nothing was left at home when we arrived. [The] 2010 calamity fund was depleted halfway into the year. Hindi ba babagyo sa 2nd half ng taon [are there no typhoons expected in the second half of the year]?” she wrote.

She added that the poor comprised only 21 percent of the beneficiaries of the state health insurance program during the Arroyo administration.

“Who made up the 79 percent? Your guess is as good as mine,” she tweeted.

The online debate—which ran for more than two hours—provided a bit of entertainment for “netizens” on an otherwise gloomy Saturday afternoon where strong winds and heavy rains kept most people indoors.

Wrote Susan Ople, a losing senatorial candidate in 2010: “And I thought this was going to be a boring Saturday morning! Thank God for Twitter!”

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda joined the fray: “Nobody home? Of course! We definitely live in a different neighborhood. Arroyo’s record vs P-Noy’s (Aquino’s). Her manner of governance vs ours. Corrupt vs honest leadership. Midnight deals vs transparency.”

Senator Francis Pangilinan, a supporter of Mr. Aquino, also criticized Arroyo in a statement, claiming that no one in the Aquino administration has been implicated in the kind of corruption scandals that marred her rule.

“Yes, Malacañang has been exorcised of all these with Arroyo stepping down and as such we are truly grateful that nobody’s home who’s willing and capable of doing all that,” he said.

In her Twitter offensive, Magsaysay complained of the Aquino administration’s “incompetence” in the face of calamity, such as the one brought on by Typhoon “Falcon.”

“We need preventive measures against typhoons, long-term solutions. This administration is fond of reactive measures when things are bad already,” she wrote.

Magsaysay also told Valte: “You should learn from mistakes of the past and not make them as excuses for not doing what you can to solve present problems.”

Valte countered that the new Metropolitan Manila Development Authority management found no flood-control program in place. She said the government also spent about six months “cleaning up bidding processes to ensure that no corruption will take place.”

“Corruption/padrino system (has) been ingrained solidly for nine years. Bidding now clean,” she wrote.

To which Magsaysay countered: “Malacañang should answer the issues raised against them head-on. Valte’s answers evaded the points raised. Please study your answers before you come out [with them].

The back-and-forth went on for two hours until the two called it a day at 2:16 p.m., like nothing happened. Valte wished Magsaysay, who was on the point of boarding a plane, a safe trip.

“Thanks. Until next time,” the lawmaker tweeted.