Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo has apologized to a Palace official for providing false information that there were 10 people who died in the Wednesday night bombing of the town plaza in Hilongos, Leyte.
“Pasensya na Asec. Abella dahil ala-una ng madaling araw nang pinaabot sa akin ng regional director ng Leyte ang nangyari ng pambobomba sa Leyte at ang initial na ulat ay may 10 patay,” Taguiwalo said during a televised press briefing on Thursday.
(Pardon me, Asec. Abella, it was already around 1 a.m. when the regional director of Leyte told me that a bombing occurred in Leyte and that 10 were initially reported to have died.)
Taguiwalo was referring to Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella, who was also in the briefing.
“Hindi ho totoo yan. Kung nakuryente ho tayo, ako ho ang may kasalanan, hindi ang ating spokesperson,” she said.
(It is not true. If we received false information, it is my fault, not the that of the spokesperson.)
She said no one was killed in the blast but that there were 34 reported casualties, who were brought to the hospital and 10 of them had been already released.
READ: 2 IEDs exploded at Leyte town plaza; 33 hurt – police
Taguiwalo said the DSWD would not only give P5,000 in financial assistance to each victim but it would also shoulder their hospital bills. CDG/rga