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Bacolod City, Philippines Monday, March 12, 2012
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I’m not after money
of Iggy, Ibuna says

The long-time partner of the late Rep. Ignacio “Iggy” Arroyo Jr. (Neg. Occ., 5th District), Grace Ibuna, denied that she is after the congressman’s money in an interview over “The Buzz” on ABS-CBN aired yesterday afternoon.

Ibuna said she came from a comfortable family and lived well even before she met Arroyo.

“I have two hardworking parents…we lived a very comfortable life. We are all working, we are all entrepreneurs,” she said.

Asked by Abunda about Iggy’s last will, Ibuna said “I hope you would understand that I cannot speak about it because there might be some legal consequences.”

Ibuna said she sincerely loved Arroyo in the six years that they were together and that she was never after Arroyo’s properties, ABS-CBNnews.com reported on its website.

Arroyo died at the London Clinic on January 26 after a long battle with cirrhosis of the liver and other complications.

He was undergoing radical treatment in London, “There would be days that he would be okay and days that he was not,” Ibuna said.

“There were times he wanted to give up because he felt sorry for me…but then he would say, I want to live for you,” she said.

On the issue of being the “other woman,” Ibuna challenged everyone to look up on the definition of “mistress” in the dictionary.

She said if a couple still share a common bed under one roof and the other person is kept a secret, that is a mistress.

In her case, she said, the congressman had publicly announced that he was no longer with his wife and had openly introduced her to the public as his partner.

The congressman left a medical will that stated that he did not want his body to go to his wife, Aleli Arroyo, Ibuna said, explaining why she had to seek judicial help in London to fulfill his wishes.

Ibuna said she wonders why Aleli wanted the congressman’s body when he died when it was she who filed for legal separation for their properties, a temporary restraining order for Iggy not to go near his own home for years, and there was an ongoing annulment.

Ibuna said she is saddened that her family is being affected by the issues being hurled against her, but she had kept mum because she wanted a dignified burial for the congressman, and she was grieving.

As to the accusations that she is enjoying the media exposure, Ibuna asked who started going to the media first.

Ibuna also dismissed the issue alleging that she was the one who unplugged Arroyo from the life-support machine.

“There’s no such thing. I have documents to show that the rules of London are very different. It is not the call of any family member when to stop the medication or to unplug. In fact, there was no plug. Halos lumuhod ako sa doktor para pakiusapan sila na gawin lahat (I was almost kneeling before the doctor asking that they do everything), but they said they did everything ,” she said.

She also denied that she misrepresented herself as Mrs. Arroyo in London. She said it was the congressman himself in his own handwriting who wrote her name, Mary Grace Ibuna, as next of kin.

Asked if she will run for congresswoman of the fifth district of Negros Occidental, she said she is not thinking about politics now because she is still grieving.

According to Ibuna, she is just so blessed to have known Arroyo.

“I’ll miss you (Iggy) everyday of my life…thank you for giving me the best years of my life,” she said over “The Buzz”.*

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