Cabinet replacements must come from career ranks - Recto

MANILA, Philippines - Former senator and economic planning secretary Ralph Recto said yesterday that career executives should fill the posts to be vacated by Cabinet officials so that the transition to the new government in June will be smooth and seamless.

Recto issued the statement as Malacañang officials disclosed last week that President Arroyo was already in search of replacements for her Cabinet secretaries who are expected to resign in the coming weeks to run for local or national posts.

“The replacements should come from the career ranks,” Recto said. “Tapping career executives would ensure continuity of programs and prevent disruption of services.”

“And they could serve as a transition team to whoever will win in the May polls. The transfer of power will be easy if the head of office is both a member of the outgoing administration and of the incoming one,” he said.

“With the manifold problems it will inherit, the next administration must lose no time in setting up shop and having career men and women at the helm of departments will ensure they will hit the ground running,” he added.

He asked the Palace to “resist the temptation” of naming “graduating politicians” to Cabinet posts or key agencies whose heads will seek elective offices in May next year.

“Congress, for example, is a huge talent pool. But even its best and brightest cannot fully learn the ropes of the agency they will be appointed to, in case their services will be tapped, in six months. By the time they are out of the learning curve, inauguration of the next president will just be around the corner,” he said.

In contrast, simply promoting the “ most qualified career executive” to assume the post of resigned Cabinet members “will ensure the new head will require no on-the-job training.”

“This administration should put its best foot forward in its last days of office and it cannot do that if it is staffed by people on training wheels,” Recto said.

He said “choosing career officials over outsiders” will also shield the administration from allegation that those appointed in the “last two minutes of its rule were deployed not to run these public offices but to help run the campaign of administration-endorsed candidates.”

“You designate a career official, for example, in a department and you’re signaling your intention that you’ll be on your best behavior on the last days of your term,” he said.

“The exodus out of the Cabinet has started and instead of commissioning search teams for replacements, why not tap the next in line and save time,” he said.

Last week, Mrs. Arroyo appointed former peace negotiator Annabelle Abaya as presidential adviser for the peace process to replace Avelino Razon, who is running for mayor of Manila.

She also appointed her presidential adviser for new government centers Victor Domingo as public works secretary in place of the resigned Hermogenes Ebdane, who wants to run for president.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita earlier told reporters that he compared notes with Presidential Adviser for Political Affairs Gabriel Claudio and found out that there are probably 15 Cabinet members who have resigned or are expected to resign soon to run in the 2010 elections.

He also said there is no need to ask for the resignations of the concerned Cabinet secretaries as “they will resign when it is the right time to do so.”