President Benigno Aquino III. AP FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines鈥擡ven to the president of the country, Janet Lim-Napoles is the butt of jokes.
In a bid to lighten up the mood after a string of natural disasters, President Benigno Aquino III mocked the alleged pork barrel scam brains before members of the Canadian Embassy and other Malaca帽ang visitors on Friday鈥檚 Winter Escapade tour.
Aquino said he got a joke in a text message that the show 鈥淢aalala Mo Kaya鈥� wanted to make an episode about Napoles.
And in every question by the show鈥檚 writers, Napoles could only answer 鈥淗indi ko po maalala,鈥� a reference to Napoles鈥� response to senators in a hearing on the alleged billion pesos racket involving lawmakers鈥� discretionary funds.
鈥淪o of course the scriptwriters came to interview Mrs. Napoles to ask her about details. And in every question, Napoles only answered: 鈥業 don鈥檛 remember that鈥�,鈥� Aquino said.
Aquino said the show鈥檚 writers eventually gave up on Napoles and threw the show to the bin.
鈥淎fter five to six hours of interview, the writers have not written anything and eventually decided not to pursue the episode of 鈥楳aalaala Mo Kaya,鈥� he said.
Aquino said he made the joke to show that Filipinos still manage to smile in the face of disasters that hit the country in 2013鈥攖he 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Bohol and the Super Typhoon 鈥淵olanda鈥� in Central Philippines as main tragedies.
鈥淔ilipinos find a way to smile in the face of trials to at least ease the burden,鈥� the president said in Filipino.
The other spiels by Napoles in the Senate hearing were 鈥淗indi ko po alam (I don鈥檛 know)鈥� and 鈥淚 invoke my right.鈥�
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