Alcantara pushed as ‘little president’

As executive secretary, Alberto Romulo is usually the man who relays President Arroyo’s displeasure to erring Cabinet members.

But amid a series of changes in the Cabinet, some groups are said to be maneuvering to get even the "little president" out of Mrs. Arroyo’s official family.

A Palace official told The STAR that Romulo was warned recently by a Cabinet colleague about a certain "civil society" bloc that was lobbying to have Romulo replaced as executive secretary by presidential consultant on foreign travel Tomas Alcantara.

Alcantara served as trade and industry undersecretary during the administrations of former Presidents Corazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos, when Mrs. Arroyo was also a trade undersecretary handling garments and textile exports.

But Romulo, who has served in various appointive and elective positions in government since the Aquino administration, laughed off the rumor and recited the Cabinet members’ credo: "I serve at the pleasure of the President."

Romulo, 69, said it was not surprising that people interested in his position would spread rumors about his capability to handle the job, especially after he underwent a double heart by-pass operation in May.

Since he underwent that operation, rumors started spreading that Romulo had asked the President to give him a lighter work load, a rumor he strongly denied.

"I never asked for a lighter load. In fact, I like a heavy load because I thrive on work. I enjoy my work," he said.

But, he said, "from the executive secretary, all the department secretaries, all the presidential advisers and assistants... it’s the prerogative of the President (to choose who should be in the Cabinet)."

Romulo also conceded that vested interest groups may be itching to have him removed because of some policy positions he has taken since he assumed his office.

"If I am to be an effective executive secretary, I must not be swayed by considerations of whether my actions would be popular or unpopular to particular sectors of society," he said, stressing that that was why he has kept a low public profile since he became executive secretary.

He also denied speculations that there would be a revamp early next year following the Cabinet workshop he presided at the Palace on Dec. 19.

"There is no such thing," Romulo said, stressing that the "workshop" was, meant to finetune the activities of Cabinet members with the direction set by Mrs. Arroyo.

"This a Cabinet that is working," he said. "This is a Cabinet that has teamwork with one another. In any team, you want to see how you can help each other and you want to see where the Cabinet members are going to the direction that has been set by the President."

He also belied Palace observers’ speculations that the workshop was Mrs. Arroyo’s way of conducting a spot evaluation of the performance of Cabinet members.

"That performance evaluation, of course, will ultimately be done by the President herself and I think she is satisfied with the members of her Cabinet," he said.