KIKO HITS KAMPI'S 'INCREDIBLE
TALE' ON SOURCE OF CASH GIFTS

Senate Majority Leader and Independent Senator Kiko Pangilinan today slammed the recent revelation of President Gloria Arroyo's pet party, the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi), regarding the source of "cash gifts" distributed in Malacanang on October 11, saying it is "an incredible tale concocted by storytellers lacking in imagination and creativity."

"First Sec. Puno, Kampi chair, said it came from House Speaker Jose de Venecia. Now Kampi is saying it came from them & admitting to it 3 weeks after the incident & despite their initial vehement denials."

Kiko criticized Kampi for "producing a bad script that reeks of a cover-up" on the most recent bribe-giving scandal allegedly involving no less than the President herself. Since Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio exposed the alleged "payola" distribution in Malacanang, Kiko had been calling on other local government officials and congressmen who received the money to make an accounting and "follow the example of Among Ed."

Palace officials still won't confirm nor deny that the money came from the President herself. However, Kiko said "Malacanang cannot claim ignorance of something that happened right under its nose."

"Kampi is the party of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. It admits to disbursing the funds which some say amounted to some P120 Million cold cash and it happened right inside Malacanang, the President's official residence. It would be incredible to believe that given all these, the president had no knowledge of the incident," explained Kiko.

"Even my daughter in Grade 1 will find that difficult to believe. They are either lying, or we have a President who is totally oblivious to what is going on in the Palace. Either way it certainly doesn't look good," he said.