Arroyo appoints mines director as acting DENR secretary

MANILA, Philippines - President Arroyo has implemented a minor reshuffle of her officials led by the appointment of Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) director Horacio Ramos as the new acting environment secretary.

Ramos, who has been director of the MGB since 1996, took over from erstwhile acting Environment Secretary Eleazar Quinto, who was transferred to the Office of the President.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said Quinto was appointed as director general of the Presidential Coalition Affairs Office.

Prior to Quinto’s appointment, the Presidential Coalition Affairs Office was headed by executive director Maricor Imperial.

Imperial moved up to Secretary to the Cabinet, replacing Silvestre Bello III, who has resigned to run for senator under the administration Lakas-Kampi-CMD party in the May elections.

Ramos is a mining engineer by profession and rose through the ranks of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to its highest field operations position.

However, in spite of his long experience as head of the MGB, Ramos’ appointment as acting environment secretary raised several eyebrows because appointees usually come from the ranks of the undersecretaries.

The DENR has at least four undersecretaries, namely Manuel Gerochi, Demetrio Ignacio, Teresita Castillo and Marty Ann Lucille Sering.

It also has a senior undersecretary, Ramon Paje, who received the designation during the term of Lito Atienza as environment secretary.

Atienza resigned last Dec. 28 to focus on his mayoralty bid in Manila.

Meanwhile, Ermita downplayed the reported resignation of two of the government panel members in the peace process with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) because of the alleged lack of transparency by the chairman of the panel, Foreign Affairs undersecretary Rafael Seguis.

Ermita said he was informed by Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Annabelle Abaya that both Tomas Cabili and Adel Antonino would remain as consultants on the peace process.

“They are making themselves available, they will continue to serve the needs of the peace process as consultants to the panel,” he said.

Ermita said that the Palace is treating the matter as internal to the Office of the Presidential Affairs on Peace Process (OPAPP) and the government peace panel in the MILF peace talks specifically.

He defended Seguis as chairman of the peace panel and did not believe that the alleged lack of transparency was as bad as described.

Ermita also speculated that Seguis may not have been able to brief all of his panel members before they went to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia a few weeks back.

“Maybe they did not like the style of Usec. Seguis as the chairman but these are personal matters. What is important is that Seguis has the confidence of the President so he continues as chairman of the panel,” he said.

Abaya said that she has recommended two women to fill up the two vacancies in the panel.

“The decision on new members is (up to) Ambassador Seguis. I’ve made my recommendation to appoint women to the two available posts,” Abaya said.

“There should be no effect on the negotiations as vigorous consultations are ongoing,” she added.

Ermita said that the new appointments would “depend on the confidence of the chairman of the panel and the qualifications of those that will be chosen.”