MANILA, Philippines—President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III has asked beleaguered Interior Undersecretary Rico Puno "to continue" despite being embroiled in two major controversies.
Puno was not only implicated for his alleged involvement in illegal numbers game jueteng but he may also be held liable for his handling of the bungled August 23 hostage-taking that left eight Hong Kong tourists and the hostage-taker, a dismissed police officer, dead.
To spare the President from these controversies, Puno had offered a courtesy resignation when Aquino was in the United States.
Asked if he had pursued it to the President, Puno said, "I was about to pero sinabihan ako ng Presidente to continue e (but I was told by the President to continue)."
"Hindi na nga ako nakapagsabi sa kanya e (In fact, I was not able to tell that to him)," he said when pressed by reporters after testifying at the Senate on the jueteng controversy.
Puno refused to comment, however, on the reported statement of the President that cases would be filed against him for the botched hostage rescue.
"Hindi ko pa nababasa. Wala pa namang nilalabas eh (I haven’t read it. There is no order yet)," he said, "I have to see it first, my lawyers have to see the final report."
Source: Inquirer
