A Malacañang search committee, which starts reviewing today qualified nominees for the vacant post of foreign affairs secretary, stressed that no one can be too old to serve in key government posts.
"The Cabinet has no age limit. We are not anti-old," said committee head Victoria Garchitorena.
Among the top contenders for the vacant post is opposition Sen. Blas Ople, who at 75 is one of the oldest members of the chamber.
Ople, who chairs the Senate foreign relations committee, earlier said he was far from being too old for the job. Shrugging off criticisms about his age, the senator said he could even run a race with his critics around Rizal Park in Manila and swim a kilometer before lifting weights.
The man he would be replacing, Vice President Teofisto Guingona, was himself 74 when his resignation as secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) formally took effect yesterday.
Garchitorena, a senior Malacañang consultant on poverty alleviation and good governance, said the search committee had to wait until the resignation took effect before proceeding with the task of finding a replacement.
While age would not be a deciding factor, many others would be considered, including new objections raised by the so-called civil society, she said.
Garchitorena said President Arroyo met yesterday with leaders of the Kongreso ng Mamamayang Pilipino (Kompil), who continued to object to her plans to appoint Ople.
Kompil noted that Ople was one of 12 senators who had prevented the opening of the second envelope of evidence during the aborted Estrada impeachment trial last year.
"That is a very valid point of view from civil society and the President took note of that," Garchitorena said.
She said that it was but natural for the search committee to take into consideration all the objections raised by Kompil against Ople.
"Of course, we will look at all these things, both positive and negative issues on individual nominations. We will study not only their track record but also the reaction of the citizens, not just civil society but other sectors affected by the DFA," Garchitorena said.
Mrs. Arroyo formally takes over the DFA on a concurrent basis until the search committee finds a qualified replacement.
Meanwhile, jailed former President Joseph Estrada said Mrs. Arroyo’s offer to Ople was an indication that her administration was running out of competent men to run the government.
"The offer shows they lack the capable leaders. She is not doing this purely for the purpose of reconciliation," Estrada said. – With Pia Lee-Brago, Jose Rodel Clapano