All political envoys recalled

MANILA, Philippines - Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo has ordered the recall of all political envoys whose terms end with that of President Arroyo on June 30.

In a press conference yesterday, Romulo said “all non-careers are co-terminus with President Arroyo and there are many career officials who can take over.”

Romulo and five undersecretaries at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) are political appointees and co-terminus with the President.

The DFA chief said he had already issued a circular to all others affected so they could prepare to vacate their posts before their terms in office end on June 30.

He also issued recall orders to all non-career ambassadors abroad.

By next month, Romulo and five key DFA officials – Undersecretary for Policy Erlinda Basilio, Undersecretary for Administration Franklin Ebdalin, Undersecretary for Special Concerns and Ocean Concerns Rafael Seguis, Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos Jr., and Undersecretary for International Economic Relations Edsel Custodio – are to leave office.

Romulo gave recognition to Liberal Party presidential candidate Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III as the “new president” after next month as Seguis, also the DFA Overseas Absentee Voting Secretariat (OAVS) chairman, presented results of the overseas absentee voting which showed Aquino getting the biggest number of votes among Filipinos abroad.

“Noynoy is our new president,” Romulo said.

But he later explained that everything becomes official when Congress completes the canvassing of votes and proclaims the presidential and vice presidential winners.

“You look at the returns and he has close to 15 million (votes),” he said.

Romulo evaded questions about serving in the new administration.

“I’m only focused up to June 30,” he said. “I’ve been in the Cabinet for more than 20 years. Until June 30 there is enough work.”

In September, former Cabinet secretary Silvestre Bello III called on Cabinet officials to resign from their posts if they could not support the administration candidates in the 2010 elections.

Bello made the statement amid reports that Romulo would support and vote for Aquino instead of former defense secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.

Romulo had supported the late former President Corazon Aquino and served as budget secretary in the Aquino administration.

Meanwhile, the Union of Foreign Service Officers (Unifors) welcomed the recall of non-career ambassadors and the implementation of the law on co-terminus nature of appointments.

It said the order augurs well for harnessing the full potentials of the career corps in service to the country and the people.

Despite the ban on appointments during election period, President Arroyo appointed business tycoon Alfonso Yuchengco as ambassador to Germany, replacing retired career officer Delia Albert.

Retired generals were also rewarded ambassadorial posts, the group said.

Career officers at the DFA had also asked the President to withdraw the appointments of Cebu Rep. Antonio Cuenco and Ambassador Francisco Benedicto.

Unifors president Victoria Bataclan said if ever the appointments of Cuenco and Benedicto were confirmed by the Commission on Appointments they would only serve as ambassadors for less than six months and “such duration does not justify the additional expense of their deployment or transfer.”