4,000 Estrada appointees to be replaced

Malacañang is now processing applications to fill some 4,000 vacancies in the government, Presidential Spokesman Renato Corona revealed yesterday.

Corona made the announcement as President Arroyo appointed Jules Christopher Ledesma as administrator of the Sugar Regulatory Administration and Rosalinda Baldoz as administrator of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration.

The President also re-assigned Trade and Industry Undersecretary Ernesto Ordoñez as undersecretary of the Department of Agriculture. Also retained as DA undersecretaries were Cesar Drilon and Arsenio Balisacan.

The Palace also announced the appointment of the following undersecretaries: Jose Calida at the Department of Justice, Rolando Olalia Jr. at the Department of Labor and Employment, Laura Pascua at the Department of Budget and Management, and Ernesto Pangan at the Department of Education, Culture and Sports.

Corona said the appointments were cleared through a personnel task force that was formed to process the applications for vacancies from assistant secretary and above and other appointments co-terminus with the President’s term.

He said appointments to the Cabinet are almost finished except for the Cabinet portfolios for energy and environment and natural resources.

Malacañang is having a hard time filling up the two posts because the initial appointees either declined the appointment or had conflict of interest issues confronting them, he added.

The DENR post remained vacant because the search committee has not come up with a short list after Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr. threatened to block the confirmation of Isabela Rep. Heherson Alvarez if he were appointed to the post.