MISUSE OF PRESIDENTIAL HELICOPTER – Allegations against Kris Aquino
Political observers and ordinary citizens are appalled to see the blatant misuse of the official machinery by none other than the sister of the president of the Philippines who is a famous actress, television and media star Kris Aquino.
The Pictures that showed her alighting from the Presidential chopper with her team during the election campaign went viral on the internet and what followed was outright condemnation and criticism by almost all right-thinking members of the voting public, the representatives of the various parties and candidates and the media.
The helicopter, which was provided by the Dalaguete municipality, was also splashed across the social media drew flak for the misuse of official machinery for supporting the election efforts of the Liberal party Presidential candidate Manuel Roxas and his running mate Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo the member of the House of representatives from the third district of Camarines Sur who is running for the post of the Vice-President of the Philippines.
Facebook, where most of the pictures were circulated showed her near the Presidential helicopter which should not be used for campaigning; in another photo, one of her aides is clearly photographed wearing the campaign T-shirt of the Liberal party candidates with a soldier watching in the backdrop.
In a reference to Aquino, the person responsible for uploading the photos criticised the gross misuse of the official government machinery which is strictly forbidden under the laws governing the conduct of elections.
The photos, which the Municipality of Dalaguete had released by a user named Peshmerga Abs and were supposed to have been snapped on Tuesday.
The presidential seal is clearly seen in the photos but, when asked for their reaction to the photos, Ibarra Gutierrez spokesman of Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid just brushed away the allegation that the government resources were being used to transport Kris Aquino the sister of the President and her television crew and the campaigners for Roxas and his Vice Presidential candidate.
He remarked that it was all malicious propaganda without any substance; he stated that it was probably taken when she was accompanying the President.
Meanwhile, the user who posted the photos online had quipped that that government resources were blatantly being misused and that the people will be swearing in anger due to this violation of the poll conduct rules.
Author: Umrao Singh
