Enrile defends P-Noy's alleged failure to present road map

MANILA, July 28 (PNA) – Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile on Tuesday defended President Benigno Aquino III's alleged failure to present a road map of his administration in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday.

Enrile said the program of the government will be shown by the budget message that the President will issue "because the budget is the policy and program of government."

"He is just like a doctor, analyzing the body of the patient. If he will do prescription now, his prescription is the budget," Enrile said in a media interview.

While defending the President, Enrile assured the Filipino people that he would not become an "errand boy" of Malacanang.

"I'm not going to be an errand boy of anybody. I think my record will show that," Enrile said.

Enrile expressed the readiness of the Senate to study all the priority measures of Malacanang, specially the bills the President mentioned in his SONA like the procurement law, anti-trust law and whistleblowers bill.

"Of course if there are proposed measures from Malacanang, we will study them and not oppose simply because it is came from Malacanang," he said.

As to the President's appeal not to give his Cabinet members a hard time in the Commission on Appointments, Enrile said they will only examine the qualification of the President's appointees.

"Not to deliberately give them hard time but they will be asked about their capabilities and their qualifications. They will be examined where they came from and their status in life," Enrile said. (PNA)