Nikki quits CA post

Sen. Anna Dominique "Nikki" Coseteng resigned yesterday from the Commission on Appointments to refute charges that she is using her position to push for the appointment of her mother, Prof. Alicia Coseteng, as ambassador to Mexico.

The Senate accepted Coseteng's resignation and elected Sen. Robert Jaworski as her replacement.

Coseteng had been in the running for the chairmanship of the CA's committee on foreign relations until her resignation from the bicameral body. This makes her lone rival, Sen. Francisco Tatad, a virtual shoo-in for the CA post.

Meanwhile, Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, a member of the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET), swapped posts yesterday with Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr., a CA member.

Aside from his membership in the SET, Pimentel is also the new Senate representative to the Judicial and Bar Council, replacing Sen. Renato Cayetano in accordance with an agreement forged during the time of the late Senate President Marcelo Fernan.

Pimentel said that all senators know that he is scheduled to take over the JBC post from Cayetano this month. Cayetano said he is merely fulfilling a commitment he made long before the scheduled promulgation of the decision on the Vizconde case by the Parañaque regional trial court.

Cayetano's presence during the promulagation was criticized since he was a member of the JBC.

Cayetano said he was already a lameduck member of the JBC last month so he could not have possibly influenced the decision of Judge Amelia Tolentino.--