Cabinet appointees face tough CA grilling

MANILA, Philippines – It won’t be smooth sailing for President Aquino’s Cabinet appointees when they face the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA) for their confirmation.

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago earlier warned members of the Cabinet that they will still undergo thorough scrutiny once they face the CA.

Malacañang has yet to submit the list of Mr. Aquino’s appointees pending the reorganization of the Senate and the House of Representatives after the President’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) and start of the 15th Congress on Monday.

An official from the CA Secretariat confirmed that the Office of the President has not submitted any names for confirmation.

The same official explained that the CA starts its confirmation proceedings around August when the organizational changes at the two houses of Congress are settled. 

The membership of the CA depends on party affiliation and their alliances with the majority and minority.

All Cabinet members are required to pass the CA, which was created under the 1987 Constitution to provide the necessary checks and balances to the executive power of appointment under a republican system of government.

Some sectors earlier expressed dissatisfaction over Mr. Aquino’s decision to appoint certain personalities who were identified with the previous dispensation as well as big business.

Malacañang, however, yesterday defended the appointment of several Cabinet officials who were identified with big business groups, saying their performance in the next few months must bear them out.

Various groups and Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares had criticized the appointments of Alberto Lim of the Makati Business Club as tourism secretary; Jose Rene Almendras, former president of the Manila Water Co. Inc. as energy secretary; Jose “Ping” de Jesus, former president and chief operating officer of electricity distributor Manila Electric Co. and also former Philippine Long Distance and Telephone Co. executive vice president as transportation secretary; and Rogelio Singson, former president of Maynilad Water Services Inc., as public works secretary.

“I think that’s too speculative at this point. They have divested from their previous positions; they resigned. And so, let’s observe them for this coming few months. It’s too early to tell,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said. — With Aurea Calica