A politician for more than 20 years now, presidential spokesperson Ignacio “Toting" Bunye would probably be best remembered as the CD (compact disc) man. He showed up in a press conference in Malacañang on June 6, 2005 wearing his typically neat suit and flawless tie, and with his usual calm demeanor, showed the CDs allegedly containing taped conversations of President Arroyo with election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano. In his left hand was a gold CD, supposedly the original version, and in his right, a silver CD, the tampered version. He was preempting oppositionists from riding on the issue and using it to grab power from Mrs. Arroyo, basing this on the assumption that the oppositionists would use the CDs to reinforce public perception that the President cheated in the elections. Bunye defended his president with his trademark poise and smooth language as the “Hello Garci" wiretapping controversy loomed. As Press Secretary and Presidential spokesperson since August 2004, Bunye is tasked to deliver the president’s official lines with precision. In one of the subsequent briefings after his expose, Bunye admitted that it was the President’s voice in the tape, a move which drew flak from both the President’s allies and the opposition. Reports said before he revealed the tape, Bunye consulted several Cabinet members if it was right to announce that Malacañang got a copy. He got a simple advice: do it if you want to and if you could.
Still, it was Bunye who got most of the blame in Malacañang when public unrest refused to die down even after Mrs. Arroyo apologized on national television. Most of the President’s closest aides thought Bunye mishandled the June 6 press briefing and the subsequent ones plus the hearing at House of Representatives. “I pity Press Secretary Toting for now having to resort to intellectual dishonesty in the performance of his job as chief propagandist of the President," said Senate President Franklin Drilon at the height of the scandal. Drilon helped Mrs. Arroyo win overwhelmingly in the Visayas in 2004. He withdrew his support at the height of the controversy. Bunye also became less visible weeks after he revealed the CDs while the President’s men in charge with national security spoke on her behalf. Reports said Bunye tendered his resignation as the ‘Hello Garci’ scandal raged on, allegedly his fourth attempt to quit since he joined Malacañang in July 2002. Several columnists, however, said the press secretary was perfect as presidential spokesperson for Mrs. Arroyo, who continues to battle questions of legitimacy. “(Mrs. Arroyo) likes what she sees: Mr. Bunye’s proud and composed body language when he defends the President. Bunye utters the official line – nobody can match his poise even while dissembling for the President," said columnist Marlen Ronquillo. It was perhaps his background as lawyer and experience in media, which made him capable of being the President’s spokesperson. Bunye became a reporter of DZMT , the radio station of the old Manila Times, while still studying at the Ateneo de Manila University. As DZMT reporter, he covered the Vietnam War and wrote the script for a documentary on Filipino civic workers in Vietnam. Bunye later became a reporter of the newspaper Daily Star, still covering the Vietnam War.
Devotion to Arroyo That he is still around doing his task despite last year’s setbacks is the ultimate proof of Bunye’s devotion to Mrs. Arroyo. Bunye was one of the busiest Cabinet members during the state of national emergency in February. “There is a crackdown on anarchy and disorder, not on freedoms," Bunye said in response to mounting criticisms of the declaration. “Our detractors are so obsessed with unseating President Arroyo that they refuse to accept that we have indeed made significant headway." He also justified the virtual martial law scenario, saying that “the military and police have never been as professional as they are now. Adventurism is a thing of the past. Loyalty to the flag is firm and the peoples’ faith in the uniform remains unsullied." Bunye has already been called a liar on the net--through the google search engine. Other critics of have less pleasant words for him: “History will judge Bunye, the president’s spokesperson for denying, lying and pretending." Bunye has proven himself devoted to the President, defending even his leader’s most controversial actions.
RORIE R. FAJARDO GMANews.TV
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