A short history of Cabinet secretaries who quit, axed

MANILA, Philippines - With President Aquino declining the resignation of Budget Secretary Florencio "Butch" Abad,  following the decision of the Supreme Court to strike down the Disbursement Acceleration Program, recent history of the country would show that there were  a number of memorable departing from the Cabinet. Let us revisit some of them: 

On November 23, 1986, then President Corazon Aquino fired Defense Secretary Juan Ponce-Enrile following intelligence reports that claimed Enrile and members of the Reform the Armed Forces Movement (RAM) were plotting to overthrow her.

During the term of President Fidel V. Ramos, it is reported that 28 cabinet members left their posts.

Among them was Executive Secretary Peter Garrucho, who quit his post on August 10, 1992, or mere weeks after Ramos' assumption to the presidency. Garrucho was named in a controversy over the issuance of an executive order exempting mining firms from the value-added tax or VAT.

On April 30, 1995, meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Secretary Robert Romulo resigned over perceived bungling of the Flor Contemplacion case.

Then Labor Secretary Nieves Confessor followed Romulo's resignation on June 30, 1995, still over the Contemplacion case.

Also on the same date, Environment Secretary Angel Alcala resigned over alleged anomalies in the DENR.

On April 16, 1997, Transportation and Communication Secretary Amado S. Lagdameo also quit his post for allegedly failing to stop the graft-ridden PEA-Amari deal.

Not all quit their post, however. 

On March 22, 1991 Health Secretary Hilarion Ramiro Jr. was sacked by Ramos following allegations of corruption in the acquisition of medical supplies.

Under the administration of President Joseph Estrada, meanwhile, then chief of staff Aprodicio Laquian, who had renounced his application for Canadian citizenship to be appointed as a member of the Cabinet,  was sacked in March 2000 following the latter's joke about Estrada's drinking sessions with the  "midnight Cabinet."

Just before Estrada was ousted in a popuar uprising in 2001, then Vice-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who was the concurrent Social Welfare secretary, resigned her Cabinet position following allegations that Estrada pocketed jueteng payoffs.

Following Arroyo's resignation,   then Trade Secretary Mar Roxas also quit his post.

On the other hand, under Arroyo's presidency, the most memorable resignation was that of the so-called "Hyatt 10", composed of Social Welfare Secretary Corazon "Dinky" Soliman, Budget Secretary Emilia Boncodin, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima, Agrarian Reform Secretary Rene Villa, Trade Secretary Juan Santos, National Anti-Poverty Commission Lead Convenor Imelda Nicolas, Interval Revenue chief Guillermo Parayno, Customs chief Alberto Lina, and Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles.

These officials tendered their resignation following the revelations of wiretapped recordings of the telephone conversations between Arroyo and then poll commissioner Virgilio Garcillano that supported claims that the 2004 polls were rigged in favor of Arroyo, then incumbent president.