MANILA: President Benigno Aquino on Monday fought off accusations that he was partying with starlets as the Philippines was mourning hundreds of people killed by a storm.
The presidential palace said Aquino briefly stopped by the traditional Christmas party of his elite security group at their compound on Sunday to show gratitude for their services.
"The president stayed for a little over 30 minutes. But he did not go up on stage, he did not sing, he did not dance. There was no partying," the head of the presidential security group, Colonel Ramon Dizon, said in a statement.
Tropical storm Washi hit the southern island of Mindanao at the weekend, spawning swollen rivers, flash floods and landslides which left 652 dead with hundreds other missing, according to Philippine Red Cross figures.
Reports of Aquino's alleged partying spread after a local TV actress and show host, Valerie Concepcion, said in her Twitter account that she met Aquino at the party, where she performed for the troops and their families.
Concepcion said Aquino laughed at her jokes and enjoyed her performance, triggering a wave of criticism directed at both.
The 51-year-old bachelor president, who comes from one of the country's richest landowning clans, had previously been linked to female celebrities and was once criticised for buying a Porsche sports car, which he has since sold.
Unlike previous presidents, including his own mother Corazon Aquino, the current leader has chosen to live in the compound of the presidential security group rather than the state palace used by the country's Spanish and American colonial rulers.
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