GMA still mum on next ‘acceptable’ defense chief

President Arroyo remained mum yesterday on who the next defense chief would be, but expressed confidence that he would be "acceptable" to all sectors.

Mrs. Arroyo arrived yesterday afternoon from Davos, Switzerland, where she attended the World Economic Forum. She granted a media interview while on Philippine Airlines flight PR 001 from Zurich to Manila, but declined to name the next defense secretary.

She was laughing when pressed for an answer and she said Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye would make the announcement by the end of the month. The STAR has reported that Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane may be the President’s choice.

Asked whether she was confident of the acceptability of her choice, Mrs. Arroyo said "yes" with a smile.

Mrs. Arroyo also said she was happy to have jumpstarted the reforms at the defense department during the two months she spent as defense secretary, particularly in taking various layers of bureaucracy out of the procurement process, which she noted was very important.

She assumed the defense portfolio after Avelino Cruz Jr. resigned due to a disagreement with the policies of the Arroyo administration. — Aurea Calica