PRESS Secretary Ignacio Bunye yesterday dismissed as coming from a "bitter source" statements attributed to Georgina "Gina" de Venecia, wife of former Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., about a "midnight Cabinet" in Malacañang.

"There is no midnight Cabinet in the Palace," Bunye said. "The President owes her mandate to the people who voted her in office and not to 'midnight kibitzers' who think they know more about the inner workings of government than they actually do."

Mrs. De Venecia on Wednesday said a "midnight Cabinet" controls the government and that it has been in place since 2005 at the height of the "Hello Garci" tape scandal.

Bunye said instead of being worked up by Ms. De Venecia's allegation, the President will check tomorrow relief and rehabilitation work in Eastern Samar and Leyte which have been hit by flashfloods.

Chief presidential counsel Sergio Apostol also urged the media not to blow up Albay Gov. Jose Salceda's calling President Arroyo "a lucky bitch."

"Sila na ni Presidente ang mag-uusap diyan kung kailangan," Apostol said.

Salceda, Arroyo's economic adviser, in an economic briefing at the Ateneo Wednesday, jokingly said Arroyo "may be a bitch, but she's the luckiest bitch around."

Salceda, in radio interview, said he has apologized thrice through text messages but the President has not replied.

He explained that he was referring to Arroyo's short temper attitude which could also be described as "bitchy" and that she was "lucky" because of the country's growth for the past 28 quarters.

Deputy Palace spokeswoman Lorelei Fajardo said she believes Salceda did not mean to insult the President but he should be more careful with his words. - Regina Bengco