Bill seeks ban on reappointment of officials bypassed 3 times by CA

MANILA, Philippines - Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago is pushing for the passage of a law that would ban the reappointment of people bypassed by the Commission on Appointments to stop the practice of reappointing officials already rejected by the CA.

The proposal is contained in Senate Bill 2499, which calls for the nominees of the President who have been bypassed three consecutive times by the CA to be declared ineligible for reappointment nor can they be appointed to any position provided under the Constitution.

Santiago said this would ensure that the system of check and balance between the executive and legislative remains intact.

Santiago recalled that in the previous administration, several nominees of the President were reappointed and appointed to new positions on numerous occasions after being bypassed by the CA.

“Past Presidents might have abused the power to appoint because of the reappointment of some nominees who have been consecutively bypassed by the CA,” Santiago said.

“The CA’s constitutional mandate to serve as an effective check against the possible abuse of the President’s power to appoint is thus frustrated by the current practice as the President merely reappoints all nominees regardless of the number of times the said nominees have been bypassed by the CA,” she added.

In the previous administration, there were at least three Cabinet officials who were bypassed by the CA several times but were reappointed or appointed to different positions: Angelo Reyes, Lito Atienza and Ronaldo Puno.

The current administration, on the other hand, has been very slow in submitting its nominees to the CA for reasons not explained clearly by the executive branch.

According to the CA, the Cabinet secretaries failed to complete their documentary requirements for confirmation and so they were not considered before Congress went on recess last month.

Several senators who are also CA members previously indicated that the nominees were also late in submitting their requirements.

Since convening as a body, the CA has so far only gone over the promotions of over 200 officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and several career foreign service officers and ambassadors.

The first 100 days of the President have come and gone and yet the CA has not confirmed any of the Cabinet members of President Aquino.

Santiago pointed out that then senator and now President Aquino was the original author of the bill she filed.

This developed as Deputy Executive Secretary Amor Amorado confirmed that Mr. Aquino has appointed Mindanao State University professor Hamid Barra as Amirul Hajj or the leader of the Filipino Muslim pilgrims who will visit the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia this year.

Amorado clarified that Barra’s position is separate from the position of secretary of the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF), which is occupied by Bai Lucman. – With Aurea Calica