Arroyo not bound by ‘utang na loob’ with Ampatuans

"Responsibility over a crime as heinous as the Maguindanao massacre cannot be bound by any utang na loob (gratitude)." Press Secretary Cerge Remonde on Friday addressed this statement to the lawyer of Ampatuan clan after the clan’s leaders accused President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of abandoning her Maguindanao-based allies, who allegedly helped her win the 2004 elections. "Buti na lang they’re just being dropped like a hot potato. E kung siguro...a neutron bomb was not dropped on them after what some of the members of the family have been accused of doing," Remonde said, even as he stressed that the Ampatuans are given due process and fair treatment. Adviser for Political Affairs Prospero Pichay, for his part, said Mrs. Arroyo was only letting the justice system take its course for the Ampatuans, who are being tried for the murder of 57 people in Maguindanao province last November 23. "Walang pinag-uusapan dito na utang na loob," Pichay said, adding it is a party member's duty to make an ally win. "And if you win, walang utang na loob diyan so the President is just very consistent with her agenda that justice should be meted out." Remonde said it was wrong to assume that supporting a candidate is tantamount to “protection" from any wrongdoing. He also expressed belief that the help extended to Mrs. Arroyo six years ago stemmed from their belief in her programs and platforms. “We still assure them of due process, and due process is being conducted . But if their lawyers expect that they can get away with it just because they supported the President in the last elections, then they must be dreaming but their dream will be the country’s nightmare," Remonde said. Pichay likewise defended President Arroyo from the expulsion of the Amptuans from the administration party Lakas-Kampi-CMD, saying it was the party's presidential bet Gilberto Teodoro who recommended their expulsion. – Aie Balagtas See/JV, GMANews.TV