Certain questions considered “sensitive” by the Liberal Party camp were banned at Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s press conference in Northern Samar on Wednesday.
The first presidential candidate to campaign in the province, Aquino arrived in Catarman on Wednesday noon but skipped the lunch prepared by the provincial capitol employees and went directly to the conference hall at Gov. Raul Daza’s office for a scheduled one-hour press conference.
Before Aquino’s arrival, however, an employee of the Provincial Information Office asked reporters to refrain from asking questions about four issues—the Hacienda Luisita case, the Reproductive Health bill, the Plaza Miranda bombing and the burial of the late President Ferdinand Marcos.
The order came from one of Aquino’s staff, according to the PIO employee who briefed the reporters.
The reporters were instead told to ask other questions that would give Aquino the chance to criticize President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her administration.
Aquino gave lengthy answers to questions on peace and order problems, the Philippine justice system, agriculture, environmental and health issues, poverty and electricity problems in Northern Samar and how he would curb corruption in the government if he would become president of the Philippines.
One local reporter, who apparently was not “briefed” about the banned questions, asked Aquino if the Hacienda Luisita case has already been resolved.
Saying he has been answering that question since 2004, Aquino nonetheless explained that his family was considering a scheme of transferring part of their land to its 10,000 farmer-beneficiaries.
He said his opponents have been using the Hacienda Luisita issue as a political issue.
“Di mahalaga sa kanila ang katotohanan. Kami na nga po ang naaapi dyan (They do not care about the truth. We are the one’s on the loosing end in that case),” he said.
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