Pnoy is so cloz to the pork barrel head....arent they???

Palace on alleged PNoy lunch with Napoles

 

This was how Malacañang described the claim of former Senator Francisco "Kit" Tatad that President Benigno Aquino III had lunch and spent hours in "closed-door conversations" with alleged pork barrel scam brains Janet Lim-Napoles before her surrender.

 

In his column published in the Manila Standard Today, Tatad claimed that Napoles arrived at the Palace at 10:27 a.m. with presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda and remained in the room for the next six hours with him, the President, and Interior Sec. Mar Roxas.

 

He said other Cabinet members who reportedly joined the meeting were Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, and Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa.

 

But in a statement released on Monday, Malacañang said the "storyline pushed by Tatad is an obvious fabrication."

 

It explained that Aquino was at two high-profile events at 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. with hundreds of attendees.

 

It also said that at both events, he delivered speeches, videos of which are embedded on the President's page for August 28, 2013.

 

"This administration believes in truthful and transparent reportage, which the former Marcos-appointee may not be accustomed to," it said. 

 

Tatad was formerly the Minister of the Public Information under President Ferdinand Marcos.

 

Along with its statement, the Palace published his official working schedule which was also sent to the Malacañang Press Corps on that day.

 

It is as follows:

 

10:00 a.m. - 8th East Asia Conference on Competition Law and Policy (Venue: Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila)

 

1:30 p.m.  - 27th Apolinario Mabini Awarding Ceremony (Venue: Heroes Hall) 

 

3:00 PM - Meeting with ES, DBM, DOF (Venue: Study Conference Room)

 

4:00 PM - Meeting with SOTC, et al (Venue: Study Conference Room) 

 

It was at Sofitel where Aquino announced to reporters the P10-million reward for any information on Napoles.

 

Later on the same day, Napoles surrendered to Aquino. Napoles is curretly detained at Fort Sto. Domingo in Laguna facing charges of serious illegal detention. Napoles' co-accused in the crime, her brother Reynald Lim, remains at large. 

 

On the other hand, the Palace said Abad also denies having gone to the Palace at all on that day. 

 

"He was at his office from 12:15 p.m. until having to leave for a 3:00 p.m. meeting in Quezon City and from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. was at the DILG to meet with some organizers and attend,"