The statement of support of  Negros Occidental officials  for  President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo  does not mean we condone corruption, Manapla Mayor Manuel Escalante said yesterday.

Escalante, president of the Negros Occidental Association of Chief Executives, was reacting to the call  of the United Negrenses Yearning for the Truth, for  national and local officials to defend the people’s interest and stop mouthing the line of Malacañang.

The call was  in reaction to a joint statement of Negros Occidental congressmen, provincial officials and mayors expressing their full support for Arroyo in the midst of the present crisis hounding the country.

Navarra said the reaction of the Negros officials was sort of a cover-up and a defense mechanism amid the revelations of dishonesty and lies at the Senate hearings on the anomalous National Broadband Network deal.

“We are not condoning any corruption, we are not saying they are not guilty – they could be guilty,” Escalante said, “We want the truth, too, that is non-negotiable.”

“If  those who are guilty  cannot be caught in my lifetime they will be answerable to God,” he said.

“We are not saying addressing corruption issues is not important, but we have to use proper channels”, he said, citing the Office of the  Ombudsman and the Department of Justice.

“Meanwhile, while this is being addressed our government has to work”, Escalante said.

“Because accusations have been made, we cannot just stop growth in our country and province,” he said.

Escalante said they aired their support for the President  because she has also showed support for Negros Occidental.*CPG

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