MANILA, Philippines - Former senator Manuel Roxas II and Cavite Rep. Joseph Emilio Abaya are expected to breeze through the Commission on Appointments (CA) for their new roles as Interior and Local Government secretary and Transportation and Communications secretary, respectively.
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile urged President Aquino to immediately transmit Roxas’ and Abaya’s appointment papers to the CA to allow their confirmation as required by the Constitution.
“I trust that the Palace will immediately transmit his appointment papers to the Commission on Appointments so that we can confirm Secretary Roxas as soon as possible,” said Enrile, chairman of the CA.
Sen. Franklin Drilon, who is also a member of the CA, said the appointments of Roxas and Abaya will be taken up right away.
“We in the Commission on Appointments assure immediate facilitation of their appointments,” he said.
Drilon is vice chairman of the Liberal Party where Roxas serves as president and Abaya as secretary general.
If Roxas’ experience at the CA would serve as the basis for what would happen during his next appearance there, then he should have no problems at all.
Roxas’ confirmation for his previous appointment as Transportation and Communications Secretary was a walk in the park and came with the blessings of all his former colleagues in Congress.
Abaya would also be among his peers at the CA and, being a member of the ruling LP, should also have no problems securing a confirmation.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson said he would call on his colleagues in the CA to take up the appointments of Roxas and Abaya right away.
Lacson stressed the importance of taking up the appointments of the two officials at the CA right away because with Congress currently in session, they would not be able to assume their respective new positions until they are confirmed.
Lacson recalled the case of Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr., whose assumption to office he questioned during his confirmation hearing.
Lacson questioned the legality of Jimenez’s assumption as Tourism Secretary and why he took his oath before the President since his appointment was made while Congress was in session.
As a rule, new appointees of the President to the Cabinet could only assume office in an acting capacity if the appointment was made while Congress is in session.
It is only when Congress is in recess that the President can issue ad interim appointments and as such, the Cabinet members can assume office even without confirmation by the CA.
In the case of Jimenez, Malacañang promptly clarified that he was just serving in an acting capacity.
Congress will adjourn for a two-week break on Sept. 21.
‘Incidental’
Lawmakers belonging to the ruling party defended the appointments of Roxas and Abaya, saying their being partymates was “incidental.”
LP leaders, however, also said there was nothing wrong with appointing party members to government positions since other government agencies headed by other members of the ruling party have been performing well.
Opposition leaders earlier warned about the LP’s dominance in the Executive branch even as administration lawmakers and Aquino himself had hinted that Roxas’ appointment could groom him to be the next presidential candidate of the party.
“I believe P-Noy (President Aquino) based his choice on his trust and confidence on the individuals and whether their working style matches the demands of the position and that of the President,” Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. Lorenzo Tañada III said.
“Being a Liberal is incidental,” he said.
House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II and Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat said there was nothing wrong with the President deciding to appoint LP members to key Cabinet posts.
“I think it’s just fine for as long as they’re performing and the LP people in the Cabinet are doing extremely well,” Baguilat said.
“P-Noy is telling the people that the LP leadership is what the country needs,” he added.
Gonzales said since the late Interior and Local Government secretary Jesse Robredo was an LP official, it was logical that his successor should come from the same party.
He said LP members in the bureaucracy are relatively few.
“It is only appropriate that more LP members are in government because the President is head of the LP,” Gonzales said.
Sen. Ralph Recto, a ranking member of the LP, lauded the President’s choice of Roxas and Abaya for the two important Cabinet posts.
“The President has found a fitting replacement to secretary Jesse Robredo in the person of Secretary Mar Roxas as head of Department of the Interior and Local Government. Robredo and Roxas are cut from the same cloth. Integrity, passion and hard work are their common thread,” Recto said.
In the case of Abaya, Recto said the President scored a home run by placing him in the DOTC.
“Abaya’s stint as House budget chief would prove useful every time he seeks approval for new transport infrastructure like railways, airports and seaports. Abaya would never be caught fishing for numbers,” Recto said.
“His military past could also be harnessed as a fiscal tool to deliver DOTC projects on time and strictly within budget,” he added.
Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo said there was nothing wrong with the appointments since Roxas and Abaya are “highly qualified functionaries, who should be given a chance to lead their respective departments.”
“Besides, the LP is the party in power and naming LP leaders to key posts is an exercise of party politics… The President should be given the leeway to put people of his choice and confidence in key posts. It’s primarily based on qualifications, second (is) party accommodation,” Castelo said.
Differed
Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada also defended the appointment of Roxas amid criticisms that the move was in relation to the 2013 and 2016 elections.
“I believe in his capability. I have worked with Secretary Mar at the Senate, and he has been doing his job well,” Estrada said of Roxas, who is his kumpadre, being the godfather of his (Jinggoy’s) youngest son.
Estrada differed from the views of his half-brother San Juan Rep. Jose Victor “JV” Ejercito who regarded the appointments of Roxas and Abaya as a move to bolster the LP’s political clout for the upcoming elections.
Although they both belong to the Partido ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) founded by their father, former President Joseph Estrada, Sen. Estrada said Roxas and Abaya are professionals.
“In fairness to Sec. Roxas and Rep. Abaya, these are two individuals who are professional and judicious in doing their jobs. Let us not politicize the issue too much,” Estrada said in reaction to his brother’s statements.
Estrada said everyone should respect the President’s decision.
“I believe in the wisdom of the President in filling up the post left by secretary Robredo. Let us give him that, it’s his prerogative,” he said.
Rather than focusing too early on the 2013 and 2016 elections, Estrada called on everyone to buckle down to work “in the interest of our country and our countrymen.”
Some local officials like Bulacan Gov. Wilhelmino Alvarado expressed confidence in the capability of Roxas to lead the DILG.
Alvarado said Roxas may not have experience in local government but he is experienced in management.
“In behalf of the province of Bulacan, we welcome Secretary Roxas as administrator of the DILG,” he said.
Alvarado said Roxas’ experience in government service would make a difference in DILG.
“What he said is true, that he has a big tsinelas to fill, but I know he will be a good alter ego of the President to local government units,” he said.
Palawan Gov. Abraham Kahlil Mitra hailed the appointment of Roxas as “an excellent decision that will build on the reforms toward transparency, accountability and people empowerment.”
Mitra cited similar outstanding leadership qualities between Roxas and his predecessor Robredo, saying these were enough to dispel apprehensions that he might exploit his DILG post for his political goals.
“They shared the quality of incorruptibility and honesty. No one has doubted this, which is quite reassuring in this age of cynicism,” Mitra said.
Mitra said he didn’t foresee Roxas departing from Robredo’s wide-ranging reform agenda, which was widely praised during the latter’s two years in office.
“Definitely, this is the right path, and Filipinos from the high and mighty to the ordinary folk know this and expect no less from Secretary Roxas,” Mitra said.
He also praised Aquino’s choice of Abaya, saying “he will bring to the DOTC his excellent work ethic in the legislature, because he gets the job done efficiently and without airs.”
Militant groups, however, are wary of Roxas’ appointment as DILG chief.
The Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya), Anakpawis party list-Laguna Lake chapter and Save Laguna Lake Movement said the appointment of Roxas as DILG secretary will usher a new era of violent demolitions of fishing communities in Laguna de Bay and other low-lying areas in Metro Manila.
They alleged that Roxas has no concern for poor people like fishermen and other ordinary Filipinos. They branded Roxas as an epitome of a patrician exploiting a plebian. – With Paolo Romero, Christina Mendez, Dino Balabo, Michelle Zoleta