EDITORIAL – Ending a farce

If something isn’t done about this soon, the Commission on Appointments should simply be abolished. Last Friday the CA again bypassed 11 Cabinet members. Several of these officials have been bypassed so often by the CA and reappointed by Malacañang that the system has turned into a farce.

Among the Cabinet members are Secretaries Margarito Teves of finance, Peter Favila of trade and industry, Rolando Andaya Jr. of budget, Gilbert Teodoro of defense and Lito Atienza of environment and natural resources. One of these days the authority of these Cabinet members and the validity of their official acts would be challenged before the courts, and who knows what a mess that would create especially in the business community.

Teves has been on the CA waiting list for two years, and he may never get its nod after his father, former Negros Oriental Rep. Herminio Teves, accused CA members in the 13th Congress of demanding P5 million from the Cabinet nominee in exchange for his confirmation. Former socio-economic planning secretary Romulo Neri had also been on the waiting list for two years before he was shunted off to the Commission on Higher Education after he reported to President Arroyo a P200-million bribe offer allegedly made by Benjamin Abalos, at the time the chairman of the Commission on Elections, in exchange for endorsing a broadband deal with ZTE Corp. Another Cabinet appointee, Rafael Lotilla, simply quit as energy secretary after repeatedly being bypassed by the CA.

No one expected changes to result from the accusations hurled by the Teveses. Lawmakers, who normally launch inquiries at the drop of a hat, behaved true to form, waiting for the CA controversy to simply go away. And they were on their way to getting their wish, except Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino Jr. recently filed a bill, proposing to put an end to the farce. The bill, called the Appointee Ineligibility Act of 2007, seeks to empower the CA to bar the President’s reappointment of any official bypassed three times by the commission. Aquino noted that one Cabinet member has been in office for three years despite being bypassed 15 times by the CA.

In the light of the accusations hurled against the CA, Malacañang’s condescension is understandable. But Congress’ mandate includes oversight, and the executive cannot ignore this function of the legislature. Aquino’s initiative deserves support — from both his colleagues in the legislature and Malacañang.