Major Cabinet shakeup looms

President Arroyo is expected to announce a Cabinet shakeup in the coming weeks to allow her to bring in "reasonable elements of the opposition" and recruit fresh talent from the private sector, a key adviser said yesterday.

According to Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, "this will be a chance for her to remove people who erode credibility... and to rebuild her presidency."

ABS-CBN reported last night that among those who will be affected are Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza, Public Works and Highways Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr., Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap and Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Merceditas Gutierrez.

ABS-CBN reported that three non-Cabinet officials will also lose their jobs.

Mendoza and Ebdane were former chiefs of the Philippine National Police under Mrs. Arroyo. Yap is facing tax evasion charges along with his father filed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

A highly placed source at Malacanang also said Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez is "on the way out" as part of the major Cabinet shuffle.

"Justice Secretary Gonzalez will be among those to be affected by the major revamp in the Cabinet," the source said.

"But he is not totally leaving the government service because he will be appointed as presidential legal counsel. I cannot say if it is a promotion of sorts."

The source said Presidential Legal Counsel Merceditas Gutierrez, who had served as Department of Justice officer-in-charge, is on top of the list of those being considered by Mrs. Arroyo to replace Gonzalez.

"The major revamp will be implemented by the President before her scheduled State of the Nation Address (SONA) next month," the source said.

"In fairness to Gonzalez, he is like a lightning rod. He is all-out for the President, unlike the other members of her Cabinet who are fence sitters."

The source said Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye would be the next to be sacked after Gonzalez.

Bunye reportedly gained the displeasure of Mrs. Arroyo with his admission during a Malacañang press conference of existence of wiretapped conversations between the Chief Executive and an election commissioner.

Gonzalez was the very first Cabinet member to defend Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel "Mikey" Arroyo and Negros Occidental Rep. Ignacio "Iggy" Arroyo after they were accused by confessed jueteng bagwoman Sandra Cam of receiving P500,000 in monthly gambling payoffs.

Gonzalez was also the first Cabinet secretary to come to Mrs. Arroyo’s rescue when former National Bureau of Investigation intelligence chief Samuel Ong revealed what he called the "mother of all tapes," supposedly containing the original wiretapped conversations, at a press conference last June 11.

Showing consistent loyalty to the Chief Executive, Gonzalez said the other day that Mrs. Arroyo’s admission on nationwide television that she had spoken with an election official on the recordings was not enough reason to impeach her.

"As far as I am concerned, there is no impeachable offense there because as the President said it was a lapse of judgment," he said.

"What the Constitution speaks (of) is willful violation and that is not a high crime."

Gonzalez said Mrs. Arroyo’s admission was intended to "satisfy everybody, especially the opposition who are using the issue to discredit her."

Deflecting questions about the President’s own culpability, Gonzalez said Mrs. Arroyo’s admission established the fact that a president of the Philippine Republic had, indeed, been wiretapped.

"Those people responsible for the wiretapping of the President should be held liable to show an example to the people," he said. "Otherwise, let’s forget about the wiretapping law."

With Mrs. Arroyo’s apparent confirmation that wiretapping took place, her confession could be used as evidence against Ong and suspended lawyer Alan Paguia, a former counsel of ousted President Joseph Estrada, for possessing the controversial recordings.

Ong and Paguia had claimed ownership of the tapes during separate press conferences, accusing Mrs. Arroyo of rigging last year’s presidential polls.

Paguia admitted to editing the wiretapped conversation, while Ong said he received the "mother of all tapes" from Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines agent T/Sgt. Vidal Doble. — Jose Rodel Clapano, AP