EDITORIAL - Stop the farce

Next time members of the Commission on Appointments do not like the face of a presidential appointee, they should simply reject the nomination outright. At best, the CA can give the nominee two chances to hurdle the confirmation process, or the president a chance to withdraw the nomination.

Limiting the number of times a nominee can be bypassed will prevent the confirmation process from being turned into a farce by a chief executive who is incapable of embarrassment. The cases of two Cabinet secretaries, Angelo Reyes of energy and Lito Atienza of environment and natural resources, illustrate this point.

Lawmakers said Reyes and Atienza have been bypassed eight times each by the CA. Yet the two continue to serve at their posts, their official status in limbo. Reyes’ portfolio is just his latest; he was yanked out of the defense post after the Oakwood mutiny, appointed to head task forces against smuggling and kidnapping and named secretary of the interior before being named environment chief. Atienza replaced him shortly after the former’s three successive terms as Manila mayor ended in 2007.

Reyes has never received CA confirmation for any of his appointments. Yet he remains in the Cabinet, and may find himself handling another portfolio in yet another game of musical chairs as other members of the President’s official family quit to run in 2010. Or perhaps Reyes himself will finally give up if he is rejected outright by the CA, and prepare instead for a political career.

The CA confirmation process is a way for the legislature to exercise oversight on presidential appointments. A deliberate bypass sends the message that Congress does not want the president’s choice, allowing the nominee to back out or the chief executive to withdraw the nomination. Corazon Aquino, during her presidency, was quick to withdraw the nomination of her appointees who were bypassed by the CA. President Arroyo simply ignores the CA, issuing ad interim appointments, over and over, to those who are bypassed.

If the chief executive refuses to respect the process, Congress can compel that respect, by acting swiftly and decisively on nominations instead of using the confirmation process for political horse-trading. They should reject the nomination outright, or else impose a cap on the number of times a nominee can be bypassed and reappointed.