Lobbying on for DENR post

Many "interested parties" are already vying for Environment Secretary Michael Defensor’s post following his disclosure on Friday that he will be officially appointed as President Arroyo’s chief of staff.

Defensor will file a leave from his current post next week. Malacañang could issue his formal appointment papers as early as next week, he said.

Three undersecretaries of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) would be Defensor’s top choices to take over as temporary officer-in-charge of the agency.

They are Undersecretary for Forestry and Environment Ramon Paje, Undersecretary for Policy and Planning Demetrio Ignacio and Undersecretary for Management and Technical Services Armando de Castro.

"Now that it has been announced, many are already lobbying for the position... But who knows? There might be no new appointment to replace me at the DENR because I just might retain my (post as) DENR chief," Defensor said in a telephone interview.

"Yes, I am certain that many aspirants are already lobbying for my position with the President." He did not elaborate.

"The President and I have yet to discuss it. But I will be the one to recommend as to who could be the officer-in-charge for the DENR while I am on leave," he said. "But it could also be that I will be the one to choose who will be the officer-in-charge because I am only on leave."

Paje is considered the most senior among the three while De Castro is a long-time associate of Defensor.

Reports of Defensor being offered the position of chief of staff had circulated as early as last November. The buzz had increased especially after Defensor was often seen accompanying Mrs. Arroyo over the past weeks.

Defensor said he has absolutely no idea who will succeed him at the DENR. "No one really knows. It is only the President who knows about the appointments this time; she has kept it all with her."

He earlier said four people were being considered as his replacement in the environmental agency.

Mrs. Arroyo is reportedly considering Office of the External Affairs Secretary Ed Pamintuan, Government Media chief Secretary Cerge Remonde, Interior Secretary Angelo Reyes and Transport Undersecretary Jose Cortez.

Defensor’s appointment comes on the heels of a reported Cabinet revamp.

Defensor is the youngest member of the Cabinet and is one of Mrs. Arroyo’s most trusted advisers. He was one of Mrs. Arroyo’s fiercest defenders when the opposition accused her of cheating in the 2004 polls.

Defensor said he has already been "officially working for the President" as chief-of-staff despite the absence of a formal appointment.

Meanwhile yesterday, Malacañang officials doused speculation of any controversy surrounding Defensor’s new post.

"Changes in the Cabinet are expected to follow the strategic pace of reforms and programs under the sole and exclusive prerogative of the President," Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said in a statement.

"The President chooses the members of her official family on the basis of public interest, and any replacements or shifts in the President’s team are all aimed at strengthening the fight against poverty, the rule of law, and the competitiveness of the Philippines in the world."

Bunye said the changes in government would not only cover "top echelons" because "day to day, we are engaged in streamlining and bolstering the overall capacity and effectiveness of the bureaucracy at all levels."

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the media should just wait for the official announcement from the Palace or Mrs. Arroyo instead of speculating.

Talk of naming Defensor as chief-of-staff cropped up last November in the wake of controversy over his decision to renew the timber licensing agreement of San Jose Timber Corp. (SJTR), owned by Senator Juan Ponce Enrile.

Defensor said he is helping to arrange Mrs. Arroyo’s schedule and assisting with some of her programs together with Ermita.

There are several vacancies in the administration and Malacañang officials were not ruling out the possibility of some opposition members getting appointed for the sake of building a "government of national unity."

Mrs. Arroyo had earlier appointed Deputy Customs commissioner Napoleon Morales as acting commissioner of the agency.

On Friday, she announced the appointment of Mindanao Economic Development Council chairman Jesus Dureza as presidential adviser on the peace process.

Dureza said he would still oversee the economic panel despite his new job.

The appointment was the third in the past week. Former Sandiganbayan Justice Narciso Nario was named commissioner of the Presidential Commission on Good Government vice Alvin Dans, and Gaudencio Mendoza Jr. as the new finance undersecretary vice Emmanuel Bonoan, who resigned due to health reasons.

Defensor said his new job as chief-of-staff would be to "help manage affairs of the President and some of her flagship projects."

He was designated earlier this week by Mrs. Arroyo as her point man and coordinator of her P35-billion "pump-priming" economic program for the first quarter of the year.

Defensor has often been out of the office at the DENR nowadays and has been seen regularly with Mrs. Arroyo on her sorties. Defensor was with Mrs. Arroyo during the holidays in Baguio City.

Palace sources said Defensor’s new job is in line with Mrs. Arroyo’s "aggressive campaign" to revitalize the country’s fragile economy, among other programs.

A Malacañang official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Mrs. Arroyo asked Defensor to draft his own appointment paper.

The official added that Defensor will have more powers than his predecessor, outgoing Presidential Management Staff head Rigoberto Tiglao, had.

Tiglao’s appointment as ambassador to Greece was confirmed by the Commission on Appointments and he is expected to leave for his new posting next month. — With Aurea Calica