MANILA, Philippines —– The Liberal Party was not having discussions on the replacement for the post of Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) chief, the party’s secretary general said Monday.
“Wala pong nag-uusap, much more walang pag-aaway, walang nagpapalakas, at walang pumapapel within the Liberal Party,” Cavite Rep. Joseph Emilio Abaya said in an interview over Radyo Inquirer 990 AM.
Abaya was reacting on reports that the rivalry between the Balay and Samar groups, two factions in President Benigno Aquino III’s cabinet, has resurfaced because of the vacancy in the DILG post. The nation mourned the death of Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo in a plane crash in Masbate last August 18.
“Unang una yang Balay-Samar group kathang isip lamang yan (First of all, this so-called Balay-Samar group is just a figment of the imagination),” Abaya said in dismissing the allegations of the rivalry.
He said that members of the Liberal Party believed that discussions on the issue were inappropriate at this time because they were still mourning the death of Robredo.
He added that whoever would replace Robredo, whether he or she may be from the Liberal Party or not, should aspire to continue the reforms initiated by the late secretary.
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