Noli as DSWD head gets more support

Despite criticism regarding his appointment as Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) secretary, statements of support for Vice President Noli de Castro continue to pour in from different sectors.

Tondo Medical Center director Dr. Victor dela Cruz said in a statement that in appointing De Castro to the DSWD, President Arroyo simply exercised her sole prerogative to choose the members of her Cabinet.

He said the people should refrain from interpreting these developments as a payback for a political promise.

"We believe that the President’s choice of De Castro as DSWD head (will) immediately address the plight of the poor. Besides, the Vice President (comes in) not without credentials... being a media practitioner for many years that made him aware of the problem of the masses," Dela Cruz said.

Lung Center of the Philippines manager Albilio Cano said De Castro will be an effective DSWD chief because of his popularity.

"His exposure and rapport with the masses make De Castro an ideal choice for DSWD secretary," he said.

Maynilad Water Services corporate affairs services manager Jess Matubis believes that while DSWD Secretary Corazon Soliman did a wonderful job, De Castro’s long experience in public service gives him the "appropriate background and outlook to be equally good, if not better, as DSWD secretary."

He added that "one thing that also makes De Castro right for the job is his common touch, his closeness to the masa, bolstered by his well-established ability to communicate with them."

Soliman resigned last Tuesday to enable the President to fulfill her "political commitment" to De Castro that he be appointed to the position of his choice.

The DSWD chief admitted that she felt "betrayed" that her post was being given away as payment for a political debt.

The following day, De Castro said the President should be given a free hand in choosing the people she wants in her Cabinet.

Soliman and De Castro also appealed to the media and critics of the Arroyo administration to stop making it appear that there is bad blood between them.

Last Thursday, Soliman offered to become De Castro’s consultant for P1 a year when he takes over the DSWD in November.

Mrs. Arroyo, in trying to appease Soliman in their one-on-one talk last Monday, claimed that she offered De Castro the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) portfolio but he expressed "strong preference" for DSWD.