7 defense execs quit

Four undersecretaries and three assistant secretaries of the Department of National Defense (DND) submitted yesterday their irrevocable resignations to President Arroyo following the resignation of Secretary Avelino Cruz Jr.

Mrs. Arroyo accepted the resignations and will appoint officers-in-charge for the vacant positions.

Presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor and Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said there was nothing unusual about the resignations, adding that these did not indicate that the defense department is in trouble.

Those who resigned were Undersecretaries Rafael Antonio Santos for policy, Cecilio Lorenzo for finance, Jose Tito Santos for defense acquisitions and Rodel Cruz for legal and priority concerns.

The three assistant secretaries are Cruz’s chief of staff Catherine Gonzalez, Ricardo San Andres and Aida Araceli Roxas-River.

Cruz told The STAR last night that the resignations did not signify protest over his departure from his post later this week.

"I recruited them to join the team so maybe they think they are co-terminus with me," he said. "Also, you need to give the new SND (secretary of national defense) a free hand in choosing the undersecretaries."

Palace officials pointed out that it is standard practice in government for appointed officials to submit courtesy resignations every time a new head of office is designated.

In this case, it is Mrs. Arroyo, who will act as defense chief for two months, who decides on the fate of the undersecretaries and assistant secretaries brought in by Cruz.

"It’s not unusual, they are co-terminus with the principal (Secretary Cruz)," Ermita said.

Such resignations were done out of respect and not out of sympathy to give the new head of office the freedom to choose his or her team members.

Cruz tendered his irrevocable resignation a few weeks ago. He told The STAR that there were three Cabinet members who wanted him out of Malacañang due to his opposition to the people’s initiative to amend the Constitution, which is a priority policy of the administration.

In his two-year stint as defense secretary, Cruz had set in motion crucial military reforms, most of which are among the recommendations of a special commission formed after the Oakwood mutiny on July 27, 2003.

He also advised the administration to appoint a civilian as his successor to sustain the military reforms he started, but he emphasized that the selection of the defense chief is a presidential prerogative and he had not recommended anyone as his replacement.

Undersecretary Cruz said that he was brought to the defense department by the outgoing secretary.

He said he would stay for a while at the department until the final draft of the Status of Forces Agreement with Australia is submitted to the Department of Foreign Affairs.

He was previously appointed at the Office of the Chief Presidential Legal Counsel. As OCPLC undersecretary, Cruz served as the senior deputy chief of the Chief Presidential Legal Counsel. He headed the legal staff and supervised the work of all its lawyers. He also represented the chief of office in Cabinet, sub-Cabinet and inter-agency meetings.

He also worked for the Carpio, Villaraza & Cruz (now Villaraza & Angangco) law office, also known as "The Firm."

Lorenzo joined the defense department last January and was in charge of finance and comptrollership. He coordinates the annual centralized budget for the DND and the Armed Forces of the Philippines, based on the Defense Planning Guidance of the defense secretary and the Multi-Year Capabilities Program of the department. He likewise formulates and implements the financial management system of the DND.

He reportedly filed his resignation last Nov. 10; Jose Santos on Nov. 7 and Lorenzo on Nov. 14 but his resignation letter was dated Nov. 10.

Santos joined the DND last Feb. 1, having been appointed by President Arroyo as undersecretary for defense acquisition. Concurrently, he is also the chairman of the strengthened Bids and Awards Committee.

Rafael Antonio Santos is the undersecretary for operations who replaced retired former undersecretary Eduardo Batenga. — With James Mananghaya, Paolo Romero