Palace hits Marcos after faulting PNoy on 'laglag-bala'

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang on Thursday hit back at Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. who criticized President Benigno Aquino III over the alleged bullet-planting extortion scheme in the country's main airport.

Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said Aquino acknowledges the allegations that extortionists are preying on passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) by planting bullets in their luggage.

But as he defended Aquino, Lacierda also took a swipe at the senator for the government's abuses against Filipinos during the time of his father, the late President Ferdinand Marcos.

RELATED: Aquino says Marcoses should apologize to Filpinos

"Unlike Sen. Bongbong Marcos who continues to deny the abuses of martial law, corruption, impunity and human rights violation that occurred under the Marcos regime of which he was a part as a government official, the president recognizes that there is a problem," Lacierda said in a text message to reporters.

"The administration is addressing this issue and taking concrete steps so that the travelers will have peace of mind and no passenger will be subjected to unfair prosecution," he added.

Earlier, Marcos said the root cause of the "laglag-bala" issue could be traced to Aquino's appointment of Manila International Airport Authority General Manager Jose Honrado.

Marcos said Honrado should be sacked for allowing the perpetrators of the extortion scheme to operate at NAIA.

He said based on the principle of command responsibility, Honrado is accountable for the bullet-planting scam.

"He should be fired immediately, he's clearly incompetent. He should never have been put in that job in the first place," Marcos said during the "Kapihan sa Senado" media forum on Thursday.

"If it was up to me he would never have gotten that job. Bakit mo ilalagay dyan, wala naman s'yang karanasan d'yan? Hindi naman n'ya alam ang trabaho," he added.

Marcos criticized Aquino for his supposed preference to appoint officials based on his connections with them and not on merit and qualifications.

Honrado is a cousin and appointee of the president.

Amid the "laglag-bala" fiasco, Honrado said he will not resign until Aquino orders him to do so. - Louis Bacani