Commission on Appointments confirms Paderanga

MANILA, Philippines -  National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director General Cayetano Paderanga passed the confirmation hearings of the Commission on Appointments (CA) yesterday after he hurdled questions about the government’s plans on the Reproductive Health bill and an opposition filed against him.

The CA, chaired by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, immediately approved Paderanga’s appointment as NEDA head and economic planning secretary.

“We are actually following the directions of the President. We’d like to be successful, for the whole country to be successful, in inclusive growth which we define to be growth that includes everybody, especially with special attention to the bottom part of the social spectrum,” Paderanga said in an interview after his confirmation.

“In a way this is more active, we will have the social investments and we hope that we will be able to address this,” he added.

On the RH bill, Paderanga said he would leave it up to Congress to debate the issue.

“It’s under deliberation in both houses so really, we will depend now on the collective wisdom of our representatives in both houses to come up with something that will be good for everybody,” he said.

Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III pointed out during the hearing that there is no need to pass the RH bill because NEDA itself reported that the country’s population growth rate has gone down.

The CA junked the objections made by former ambassador Roberto Romulo and Philippine Stock Exchange director Vivien Yuchengco against Paderanga.

As of May 26, the CA had received the re-appointment of Sixto Brillantes as chairman of the Commission on Elections for a term expiring on Feb. 2, 2015.

The commission also received the appointments of Comelec Commissioners Augusto Lagman and Christian Robert Lim; Commission on Audit Chairperson Ma. Gracia Tan, COA Commissioner Heidi Mendoza, and Mitmug Rasol as commissioner of the Civil Service Commission.

Among the President’s Cabinet, only four have not passed the CA confirmation hearing. They are Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman, Agrarian Reform Secretary Virgilio de los Reyes, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima and Justice Secretary Leila de Lima.

Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo and Environment Secretary Ramon Paje’s names were not submitted to the CA because they remain in acting capacity.