Commission on Appointments rushes confirmation hearings before break

MANILA, Philippines — Three session days before Congress adjourns sine die for two months, the Commission on Appointments (CA) is rushing to take up the remaining government officials who have not yet been confirmed.

Two Cabinet members are set to be taken up by the CA on Tuesday: Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat and Agrarian Reform Secretary John Castriciones.

Puyat replaced former tourism secretary Wanda Teo, who resigned over the controversial placement of P60-million tourism advertisement on the television show produced and hosted by her brothers.

Castriciones, on the other hand, replaced Rafael Mariano, who was rejected by the CA.

It will be Puyat’s first hearing before the CA unlike Castriciones, who has undergone two hearings with the committee on agrarian reform and has repeatedly failed to get its nod.

Castriciones is facing three persons against his appointment: former agriculture secretary Leonardo Montemayor, Confederation for Unity, Advancement and Recognition of Government Employees national president Ferdinand Gaite, and Antonia Pascual of the Departmemt of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Employees Association.

Also set for confirmation on Tuesday is Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff General Carlito Galvez Jr.

The CA committee on national defense will also take up the promotions of brigadier generals Rolando Rodil and Joselito Maclan and reservist Nelson Collantes, a former Batangas City congressman.

The appointment of Commission on Elections commissioner Socorro Inting will also be taken up on Tuesday, a week after the CA confirmed the appointment of Comelec chairman Sheriff Abas.

Meanwhile, the CA’s committee on foreign affairs will take into consideration the appointments of ambassadors Sulpicio Confiado (Egypt, with concurrent jurisdiction over Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Sudan) and Akmad Atlah Sakkam (Jordan with concurrent jurisdiction over Palestine).

Not included in the CA’s agenda for Tuesday is the appointment of Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, former deputy executive secretary.

Once Congress adjourns session on Wednesday, all appointees who have not secured their confirmation would be considered bypassed by the CA.

Meanwhile, 494 DAR employees took their oath yesterday morning before Castriciones at the DAR central office in Quezon City.

Among the employees who took their oaths are those from the Cordillera Administrative Region, Caraga, and Regions I, II, III, IV-B, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI, XII.

The 494 employees are “co-terminus with the incumbent.” They were affected by the implementation of Executive Order No. 366, which provides for the government’s rationalization scheme, in 2013.

EO 366 has abolished functions and scaled down programs and projects of government agencies as part of cost-cutting measures. It also mandated government agencies, including DAR, to remove employees holding redundant positions.

Affected employees were given the option to either retire or continue to work with the DAR on a co-terminus status. – With Rhodina Villanueva