'Midnight appointees' in National Museum resign

MANILA, Philippines - The supposed midnight appointees of former president and now Pampanga congresswoman Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at the National Museum have resigned after President Aquino’s issuance of Executive Order 2 revoking their appointments.

The Cultural Center of the Philippines, meanwhile, in a board meeting last night, re-elected advertising executive Emily Abrera as chairman, vice Antonio Yap of Mabalacat, Pampanga, an appointee and close associate of Arroyo. Former ambassador to Spain Isabel Caro-Wilson remains as president of the center, with noted pianist and educator Raul Sunico as artistic director.

National Museum executive director Jeremy Barns said he too would vacate his position but he would not resign from government service, being a career executive service officer. Barns said he may only be transferred to another position.

Those who tendered their resignation in a letter to Education Secretary Armin Luisto on Aug. 5 were chairman and retired journalist Hilarion Henares and members Bettina Aboitiz, Fidel Sarmiento, Mary Ann Bulanadi and Jose David Lapuz.

Barns said the board decided to resign because of EO 2 but would continue to hold office until Mr. Aquino named their replacements.

In a telephone interview, Barns said their positions had been declared vacant under EO 2 but the board had advised him to stay on a hold-over capacity.

Barns said in his letter to Luistro on Aug. 6 that he had been on a hold-over capacity since July 30.

If not re-appointed, Barns said he would be on a floating status until given another post in government because of his CESO 3 rank.

Mrs. Arroyo replaced the members of the museum’s board, including then chairman businessman Antonio Cojuangco, without informing them. The Arroyo board elected Barns, who was Malacañang Museum director, as National Museum executive director, replacing long-time museum director Cora Alvina.

The other members of the board at that time, former Sen. Manuel Roxas II and Marikina Rep. Del de Guzman, who were Senate and House representatives to the museum board, were also not told of the changes.

Barns started holding office at the museum on April 25 or a month after his appointment by the board on March 25.

It is not clear why the resignation letters were sent to Luistro instead of the Office of the President or the Office of the Executive Secretary, but sources said Luistro had forwarded the letter of Barns to Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. with a cover letter urging Ochoa to accept the resignation.

The appointments of Mrs. Arroyo in the museum were part of what some quarters called a pre-election “massacre” because they were done during the period when the president was prohibited from making appointments.

Aside from the museum, the board of the National Historical Institute was also replaced. Both agencies are under the Office of the President. Mrs. Arroyo made the appointments despite the ban “two months before the next presidential elections” and up to the end of her term.

Former senior consultant of the museum John Silva and former Museum Foundation president Ma. Isabel Ongpin have documented damage and dangerous alterations to the institution’s property during the term of Barns.

Ongpin had also written about questionable expenses approved by the Arroyo board.

Silva wrote Ochoa on Aug. 8 about “museological errors and possible violations of the law committed by Mr. Barns,” the most serious of which was the alleged careless moving of the museum’s most important painting, Juan Luna’s Spoliarium.

“Moving it causes ?aking and warping and I see no reason whatsoever for its move and no consultation was made from the previous and deposed Director Corazon Alvina or myself as Senior Consultant to the Museum,” Silva wrote.

Silva added that none of the other very important paintings in the room, including the Felix Hidalgo painting of the Assassination of Governor Bustamante, and several more Luna paintings and his correspondence were removed from the work site to protect them from work dust and debris.  

Barns, for his part, said the allegations of Silva were “very misleading, twisted and malicious.”

He said the transfer of the paintings was done by highly-trained conservators and everything was done according to internationally-accepted standards.

“He’s being provocative. He has a history of doing this. All I can say is that (Silva) has a personal agenda. I’m kind of used to (his tirades) already,” Barns said.

Barns also said allegations of fund misuse were “completely baseless” and that he had documents to prove that he did nothing wrong.

He noted the interests of the museum’s endowment fund could be used for special programs, projects and activities.

“I am getting tired of responding to all these accusations but I am ready for investigation. We’re open to everything,” Barns said.