Duque may be next Civil Service Commission chief

MANILA, Philippines - Health Secretary Francisco Duque III may be assigned soon to the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to replace Chairman Ricardo Saludo whose interim appointment was not confirmed by the Commission on Appointments (CA) last September.

Sources at the Department of Health (DOH) said President Arroyo wanted Duque to replace Saludo who stepped down last October.

Duque could not be contacted for comment.

Sources said DOH officials are now at a loss on who would replace Duque should he be assigned elsewhere. He would just have to finish Saludo’s seven-year term, which began in April 2008, they said.

The CA rejected Saludo’s appointment primarily because he is not a lawyer. 

But observers suspected that Duque’s transfer was brought about by his refusal to join the Senate slate of the administration-backed Lakas-Kampi-CMD party in the 2010 local and national elections.

Duque was eyeing a congressional seat in his hometown in Pangasinan, but later did not file his certificate of candidacy for any elective post.

Lakas-Kampi was only able to field seven senatorial bets while the Senate next year would vacate 12 seats.

But while a DOH secretary and CSC chairman are both Cabinet positions, the latter is more stable in terms of tenure.

The president can withdraw the appointment of a DOH secretary anytime, while a CSC chair can be removed only by impeachment.

Before his stint at DOH, Duque was appointed by Mrs. Arroyo in 2001 as president and chief executive officer of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. – Sheila Crisostomo