Ron Mia
More than a week after the violent dispersal of farmers who barricaded a highway in Kidapawan City, President Benigno S. Aquino III finally spoke about the incident.
During the Liberal Party campaign rally in Makati Friday, April 8, President Aquino said he came down with the flu on Friday which lasted throughout the weekend.
“Alam po niyo, talagang 24/7, 365 days ang trabaho ko po, paminsan-minsan po nagrereklamo na rin ‘yung katawan ko, Kaya nung Biyernes ng gabi, bigla ho tayong nagkaroon ng trangkaso. Giniginaw, naka-sweater, balot na balot, walang aircon, walang electric fan, pinilit nating matulog sabay nagkakonti pang problema kinabukasan pati ‘yung ating sikmura at talaga naman pong pinayuhan ng doktor kailangan magpahinga raw maski konti,” he said.
(“You all know that my job is 24/7, 365 days, that’s why sometimes my body also complains. Last Friday, I had the flu. I was shaking, wore a sweater, had no aircon, had no electric fan. I tried hard to sleep but end up with another problem the next day with my stomach. I was advised by the doctor to rest even just a bit I as really needed to.”)
Aquino has been slammed by several militant groups for his silence over the deadly clash in Kidapawan. They scored Aquino for his deafening silence after the violent dispersal that took the lives of two farmers and wounded hundreds of others.
READ: Groups hit Aquino’s ‘deafening silence’ on bloody Kidapawan clash
Although Malacañang through its spokespeople has given statements (READ: Palace on Kidapawan rally: No reason for deaths), many were eager to know the statement from the President himself.
Aquino also revealed that it was late in the afternoon of Friday, April 1, that he learned about the bloody clash between the Kidapawan police and the protesters. He shared that it was Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) secretary Mel Sarmiento who told him about the incident in North Cotabato after their visit to inaugurate new public school buildings in Cavite.
“Pabalik ng Maynila, nabanggit ni DILG Secretary Mel Sarmiento na kinabukasan patungo siya ng Kidapawan at ako naman po’y nagtanong: Anong gagawin mo sa Kidapawan? Sa totoo lang po, doon ko lang narinig sa unang pagkakataon na mayroon pa lang nangharang ng highway sa Kidapawan at nagkaroon ng isang violent dispersal,” Aquino said.
(“Heading back to Manila, DILG Secretary Mel Sarmiento said he was going to Kidapawan the next day, and that prompted me to ask, ‘What are you going to do in Kidapawan?’ Honestly, it was only then that I heard about the incident in Kidapawan where some people blocked the highway that resulted to violent dispersal.”)
Aquino also added that upon learning about the incident, he immediately called Executive Secretary Pacquito Ochoa and concerned cabinet officials to discuss the problem. But the meeting didn’t push through as the cabinet officials said they weren’t yet ready with their data and presentations so it was pushed back to Monday.
“Alam mo naman, pare (Ochoa), yung ugali ko. Hindi ako mapapakali hanggang hindi natin binibigyan ng katugunan lahat, ng solusyon lahat ng problemang nangyari. Dahil kung hindi sila handa, walang mangyayari sa pagpupulong, matatagalan pa ‘yung pagkukunan ng datos. Lunes na kami nag-usap,” the President said.
(“You know me [pare]. I wouldn’t feel at ease until we find solutions to all the problems we have. But if they’re not yet ready with their data then nothing will be resolved in the meeting. We pushed through with the meeting on Monday.”)
However, the President didn’t elaborate any details of what they talked about during the meeting. Malacañang just reiterated that as early as August 2015, a contingency plan for the El Niño phenomenon (which caused the drought that eventually led to the farmers’ protest) was already in place.
