Palace warns Llamas, other government officials to shape up

MANILA, Philippines—He may have gotten off easily on buying pirated DVDs but President Aquino’s political adviser Ronald Llamas will have to watch his back, just like all other government officials, from now on.

A day after the Palace released the memorandum where Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. admonished Llamas for his “improper” act, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said on Sunday that the memorandum was also a reminder on the way all government officials should conduct themselves in public.

“This is a reminder not only for Secretary Llamas but also a reminder for all of us serving in government that we should observe a higher degree of circumspection and discretion even with regards to our private, non-official conduct,” Valte said, repeating Ochoa’s statements in the memorandum for Llamas.

Speaking on government radio, Valte said people would also look at the way government officials behave after office hours.

Valte adefended the action taken by Ochoa’s office following questions on the findings made on Llamas.

She said Ochoa’s office investigated the incident involving Llamas and that its decision to simply admonish Llamas was based on the finding that while his action was improper, it was not a criminal offense under the country’s laws.  The sanction on Llamas also came after the latter apologized for his action, according to Valte.

Even before the admonition he got from the Palace, Llamas was already assured of his continued stay as a political adviser to President Aquino last week by no less than the President himself.  President Aquino reiterated his trust and confidence in the political adviser.

Llamas apologized to the public last week for buying pirated DVDs in a Quezon City mall. The Philippine Daily Inquirer and its affiliate publication, Bandera, published the photo of Llamas buying the pirated DVDs at the Circle C mall last January 23. The photo was taken and the story filed by Bandera associate editor Dona Policar, who chanced upon Llamas buying P2,000 worth of pirated DVDs.