Salceda may join Cabinet

Albay Rep. Joey Salceda may become the latest recruit of President Arroyo from Congress after the May senatorial and local elections.

Salceda, chairman of the House committee on appropriations, is on his last term as congressman. He told reporters yesterday that he would rather serve in the Cabinet than run for senator, as some of his colleagues in the chamber plan to do.

"It would be better for me to join the Cabinet instead of running for the Senate," he said after guesting on Mrs. Arroyo’s televised round-table discussion on the economy at Malacañang.

When asked what position he could serve in, Salceda said, "Maybe as presidential chief of staff" — referring to the post to be vacated by Michael Defensor, who is running for the Senate on the ruling coalition’s ticket.

The economist-turned-lawmaker later clarified that he mentioned the post only because it was the only possible vacancy that came to his mind at the time he was facing the press.

Palace sources, however, said arrangements are being finalized for a Cabinet post for Salceda, who is one of Mrs. Arroyo’s trusted economic advisers. The sources also said Salceda has until Thursday to decide whether or not he will take the post offered to him.

During a pooled interview after the round-table discussion, Mrs. Arroyo said she will decide whether to revamp her economic team or not after the elections: "Let’s just wait until after elections. As I’ve said, I won’t do any revamp until after elections."

It has been a practice of the President over the past three years to tap trusted lawmakers to join her official family. They include Defensor, Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr., a former congressman from Camarines Sur; Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez, who represented Iloilo; Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno, who once served as a lawmaker from Antipolo and Education Secretary Jesli Lapus, who was Tarlac representative.

Prior to his appointment as Supreme Court Justice, Antonio Nachura served as solicitor general and chief presidential legal counsel after he left Congress in 2004. — Paolo Romero