Ople predicts confirmation for DENR chief on Wednesday

Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Heherson Alvarez III has a very good chance of being confirmed by the Commission on Appointments on Wednesday, Sen. Blas Ople said yesterday.

Non-confirmation on Wednesday, the last plenary session of the CA in the Second Regular Session, means Alvarez’s appointment would be bypassed and President Arroyo has to reappoint him again once the Third Regular Session convenes.

Ople said that Palawan Rep. Vicente "Brown" Sandoval, head of the House panel to the bicameral body, would try to stall Alvarez’s confirmation but he predicted that there is no more stopping the favorable vote on the appointment.

"Marami nang congressmen ang nagpaalam kay Brown Sandoval (Many congressmen had already sought leave from Brown Sandoval)," he said.

The move to fully back Alvarez came after Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. has reportedly made a very strong appeal to members of the House contingent.

Sandoval would have almost four hours on Wednesday to question some witnesses, after which a vote would be taken in an executive session.

Ople said that Alvarez, a former senator, does not have a big problem among the senators in the CA.

"He is a good friend of mine and of many other senators," he said.

He added that at worst, the minority might merely abstain.

Meanwhile, Transportation and Communications Secretary Pantaleon Alvarez gets a final chance for confirmation in a hearing tomorrow morning.

The CA committee on transportation and communications headed by Quezon Rep. Rafael Nantes had previously decided that the confirmation hearing would go on even if Presidential Adviser on Strategic Projects Gloria Tan Climaco and highly paid consultant Alfonso Liongson fail to appear anew.

The committee, on motion of Senators Edgardo Angara and Robert Barbers, issued an arrest warrant against Climaco and Liongson for ignoring two invitations and a subpoena to appear.

The two are reportedly in the United States. Angara said the two would be arrested the moment they set foot on Philippine soil.

Aurora Rep. Bellaflor Angara Castillo said that in the confirmation hearing, she would concentrate on getting clarification from Alvarez and NEDA Director General Dante Canlas on the amendments to the government contract with the Philippine International Air Terminals Co. (PIATCO) for the construction of terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

She said there were inconsistencies in the testimony of the two officials on the amendments.