While regular programming in all major television networks were preempted to give way to President Aquino’s speech where he explained his side on the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) controversy, some officials of Cebu City were busy attending to other matters.
An aide to Mayor Michael Rama said he was presiding over a meeting of the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council when the President went on air at 6 p.m.
Most of the city officials begged off from making a comment on the President’s speech.
Councilor Alvin Dizon said he was unable to watch Aquino’s address as he had other commitments to attend to.
Sen. Teofisto Guingona III who was in Cebu City yesterday to attende the League of Municipalities of the Philippines convention lauded Aquino for facing the Filipino people to squarely deal with the issue.
“Would you rather that he keep quiet? No. You’d rather hear from the leader of your country,” Guingona, a political ally of the President, told CDN.
Not bad
Three mayors of Cebu towns said DAP isn’t bad for as long as it used responsibly.
Naga City Mayor Valdemar Chiong said he believes that fundings like DAP benefit a lot of people but has to be traced in terms of where the money really goes.
“I think (Aquino) did not benefit from the DAP. The people just want the fund’s beneficiaries be traced,” said Chiong.
Chiong added that though the President emphasized that the fund was released in “good faith,” he said he fears that there may be a constitutional crisis.
“The President believes he is right but I’m afraid there will be a clash between the executive and judicial (departments),” he said.
Tuburan Mayor Democrito Diamante said the DAP isn’t as “evil” as most groups define it to be as long as it is used for the good.
Diamante said the town of Tuburan benefited from the DAP after the town was granted funding for a new water system.
“Hopefully, maabtan sa pagsabot sa mga tawo ang kaayo sa DAP,” said Diamante. (Hopefully, people will come to understand the goodness of DAP.)
Daanbantayan Mayor Augusto Corro said he saw the sincerity in President Aquino’s speech.
“We can see results with the DAP. At the end of the day, as long as the results are accounted for, I don’t see why it should be tainted with anomaly,” he said.
Corro said that the President’s integrity was “very high” during his speech. “If all the politicians adapt to the way (Aquino) runs the show then we can never go wrong. We are on the way to progress,” said Corro.
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