Abduction cases in PH no laughing matter – Malacañang

By Ruth Abbey Gita-Carlos, Philippine News Agency

Castro lamented that Avanceña seemed to be “happy” with the current situation of peace and order in the country. (PNA file photo by Robert Alfiler)

MANILA – The spate of abductions in the Philippines is not a laughing matter, Malacañang said on Friday.

This, after former president Rodrigo Duterte’s partner, Honeylet Avanceña, “congratulated” the Marcos administration amid the rise in kidnapping cases in the country, citing the abduction and murder of Filipino-Chinese entrepreneur Anson Que.

“Nakakalungkot dahil muli mababanggit na naman natin ang mga kaalyado ni dating Pangulong Duterte. Hindi po ginagawa na katatawanan ang isang ganitong klaseng sitwasyon (It’s sad because we’re going to mention the allies of former President Duterte again. This kind of situation is not a laughing matter),” Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said in a press briefing.

“Kaya kay Ms. Honeylet Avanceña, huwag ninyo pong gawin na issue dahil may buhay po ditong nakasalalay, may mga buhay na nawala. Huwag ninyong gawing issue ito at gawin ninyong katatawanan ang gobyerno (So to Ms. Honeylet Avanceña, don’t make it an issue because there are lives at stake here, lives lost. Don’t make it an issue and make the government a laughing stock),” she added.

Castro lamented that Avanceña seemed to be “happy” with the current situation of peace and order in the country.

She also turned the tables on Avanceña, saying the latter would be upset if she was also congratulated for the “extrajudicial killings” (EJKs) associated with Duterte’s drug war.

“Huwag silang gumawa ng gulo dahil hindi po iyan maganda. Huwag nilang simulan ang gulo sa pamamagitan ng pagbibigay ng ganitong mga klaseng remarks o pananalita (They should not create trouble because that is not good. They should not start trouble by giving these kinds of remarks or statements),” Castro said.

Castro said Marcos and his administration condemn the crimes committed in the country and would make sure that justice would prevail.

“Hindi po tutulugan ng gobyerno ang mga ganitong klaseng sitwasyon. Pananatilihin po natin na magkakaroon ng hustisya, bibigyan natin ng hustisya ang dapat na bigyan ng hustisya at hindi po natin hahayaan na mangyaring muli ang naganap sa mga naging biktima ng EJK (The government will not tolerate these kinds of situations. We will maintain that there will be justice, we will give justice to those who deserve justice and we will not allow the repeat of what happened to the victims of EJKs),” she said.