Palace defends Abad for having 9 relatives in gov't

MANILA, Philippines — Is the family of embattled Budget Secretary Florencio "Butch" Abad controlling the government?

For Malacañang, there is nothing wrong with the budget chief being the Cabinet official with the most number of relatives holding government posts.

In his 2013 Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth, Abad declared his wife, a daughter, four nephews, two first cousins and a niece who have positions in government.

But Presidential Spokesman Edwin Lacierda said claims that Abad's family is running the government have no basis.

"The surname should not be a basis for saying they have too much power. I think their performance in government should be a gauge as whether they are an asset to the country and to the government," Lacierda said at a televised press briefing on Monday.

Abad's wife Henedina is the incumbent congresswoman in their home province of Batanes while their daughter Julia heads the Presidential Management Staff.

"These three Abads are good government officials. They have not been accused of wrongdoing," Lacierda claimed, noting that allegations linking the budget chief to the pork barrel scam have been "negated."

"That shows compliance nga na inilahad nila lahat ng kanilang mga kamag-anak sa gobyerno," Lacierda added.

In her affidavits submitted to state probers, businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles has accused Abad of mentoring her on how to design the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam.

But Abad has repeatedly denied Napoles' allegations that he dealt with the suspected pork barrel scam mastermind.

Malacañang has also been defending Abad with Lacierda reiterating on Monday that the official has introduced many reforms in the country's budget sector.

Related story: Abad blasts Napoles for ‘shameless lying’