It began on Wednesday, at least for the people who did not read Mon Tulfo, or believe Mon Tulfo, or for those who read Mon Tulfo but did not believe his claim that the current President, Benigno Aquino III, hated his predecessor Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and any and all other Arroyos with the same instinctive disgust as when confronted with the plague.
Or, in the words of Mon Tulfo: “Aquino hates the Arroyos like the plague.”
On this presumption, Tulfo, whose multiple hyphenates have him playing journalist, opinionist, moralist and occasional television anchor, alleged that the current presidential hatred was due to the universally known truth that “The person we hate most has the traits we don’t like in ourselves.” Thus “the reason P-Noy hates GMA is because they are of the same character.”
In a November 21 column, the veteran correspondent applied the same unique logic to the President’s relationship to the memory of martial law President Ferdinand Marcos. “P-Noy hates Ferdinand Marcos for the same reason” he wrote. “Both P-Noy and Marcos share one thing in common: One was a dictator and the other is a budding dictator.”
That Marcos has been suspected for over 25 years of being responsible for assassinating the President’s father, and was indeed responsible for the same man’s long incarceration, may not have occurred to the crusading Tulfo, but perhaps he is correct, and it is President Aquino’s aspirations of tyranny that has led him to ban the hero’s burial of one-half of the country’s notorious conjugal dictatorship.
It was the same column published on the same day on this paper that attributed a story to “the Malacañang grapevine” about a comment made by Budget Secretary Butch Abad. Abad, said Tulfo, made a “bad joke” as he “allegedly butted in during a discussion on why Gloria and her husband should not be allowed to leave the country.” He said, “Why don’t we just shoot her at the tarmac?”
It is a story that Tulfo claimed, if true, “typifies the kind of advisers P-Noy has in his government.”
This was the column referred to by Elena Bautista-Horn, spokesperson for Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who announced in a hurried press conference last Wednesday that there was a possible threat on the life of the former President. Horn announced that a source from a government agency warned her about operation “Put the Little Girl to Sleep.”
“There are people now in the administration who warned us there were evil plans afoot. They have an operation called ‘Put The Little Girl To Sleep.’”
The source, described by the Spokesperson Horn as highly reliable, said that Mrs Arroyo should be wary of food and medication served to her. It is why they are very worried as to the insistence of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima and Commission on Elections Chairman Sixto Brilliantes that the former President be moved to a government hospital.
“We all know that it came out in Mon Tulfo’s column that Secretary Butch Abad was supposed to have said that if Mrs Arroyo were allowed to leave the country, it would be better to simply have her shot in the tarmac.”
Horn said that they have managed to put the elements of the story together, and have come to the conclusion that there appears to be nefarious plans being put together against the former president. This was clearly a death threat.
Secretary Butch Abad, in responding to Horn’s claims, said her statements did not deserve to be dignified with a response. He then responded with the following comments.
He said Horn should make good use of her time at St. Luke’s Medical Center and get a psychiatrist to check on herself “because I think she is the one with serious problems.” He said the Arroyo camp was suffering from paranoia. He said the allegations were absurd and funny. He said that the Arroyo camp was sowing intrigue and that Horn must be ignored completely. He said that the Arroyo camp was becoming “desperate” to escape the charges against them. He said that they were trying any and all schemes. He said that they had already run out of medical and legal excuses to prevent Arroyo from being detained in a government hospital or any government facility where she belongs. He said that they were liars.
Horn claimed in a dzMM interview that she intended no accusations against the government. She said she did not name names. She said she was taken out of context. She said she merely was restating the words of her government source and the comments of one Mr. Mon Tulfo.
She added that she was sane. She said she is willing to undergo a psychiatric test.
On the same Wednesday, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda added his professional opinion of the alleged threat on the former President’s life. He said the allegations were a product of small minds. He said it was practically a complete fabrication, although he did not specify which areas of the allegations were not completely fabricated. He said that the spokesperson was a liar.
The former President’s husband responded, along with Horn. Horn called the comments of government callous and insensitive. She said the government mindset could be seen from their initial reaction. She said instead of assuring them of protection and ordering an investigation, they were sarcastic and challenging and criticizing.
President Aquino, after saying he would not comment, and that it is insanity to comment, commented that the allegations were a work of fiction, and that he had no motivation, and that there was no proof and thus no need to investigate.
Quezon Representative Danilo Suarez said Arroyo’s camp could have overreacted to reports that there is a threat on her life.
Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said it is the height of paranoia.
Senator Panfilo Lacson said Arroyo was crying wolf.
Senator Francis Escudero said he hopes Arroyo is not attempting to generate sympathy with an “ambush me” scenario.
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, who has experience and expertise in “ambush me” scenarios, said it was illogical for Malacañang to kill off the former president as fingers would point at them.
Spokesperson Lacierda said nobody believes Arroyo. Secretary Abad said the public will not be confused. Reporter Karen Davila said people, even on social media, have shown nobody believes Arroyo. Tulfo says that leaders must remember the teachings of Jesus, and the law of karma.