MANILA, April 3, 2013— Malacañang called on retired Catholic Archbishop Oscar Cruz not to engage in rumor mongering.
Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda made the call on Wednesday after Cruz bared that presidential sister Kris Aquino is being tapped to run as vice president in the 2016 elections.
“Some people, as they grow old, they become elder statesmen; some people when they grow old they become rumormongers. I don’t know why,” Lacierda said at a briefing in Malacañang.
According to him, Kris deserves some respect in her decision to live quietly after being involved in another controversy with her former husband, basketball star James Yap.
“Let’s allow Kris Aquino to live peacefully,” said Lacierda. “She has made a decision right now to be at peace, to live quietly, so let’s allow her some space. I hope that the good bishop will not engage in chika (gossip)”.
The archbishop earlier called on the sister of President Benigno Aquino III to clarify the growing reports that she is eyeing the vice presidency.
Cruz said that his “credible” sources from the Aquino administration told him that Kris would enter the national politics soon not just as an endorser but a major political player.
But Lacierda neither confirmed nor denied Cruz’s statement that Kris would be the running mate of Interior and Local Government Sec. Manuel Roxas III, who is believed to be joining the presidential race in 2016.
“I don’t want to talk about [that issue.] We’d rather not talk on that because, primarily, I have not discussed anything with Ms. Kris Aquino,” he said. (Roy Lagarde)
