Aquino rejects Abad's resignation

MANILA - Budget Secretary Butch Abad tendered his resignation on Thursday amid the controversy over the disbursement acceleration program (DAP) but President Aquino did not accept it.

Aquino said he cannot accept the resignation because he believes the DAP benefited the Filipino people.

"Yesterday Secretary Abad gave me a letter tendering his resignation from the Cabinet. I have considered the same and I have decided not to accept the resignation. Let me explain why," he said.

"Yung the notion in the current atmosphere is DAP was bad for the people. Even our most vociferous critics have accepted that DAP was good for our people."

"To accept his resignation is to assign to him a wrong and I cannot accept the notion that doing a right by our people is a wrong. Therefore I have decided not to accept his resignation and I think the whole Cabinet should be made aware of this."

ANC, JULY 11, 2014