By Angie M. Rosales
CA members wanted to confirm Roxas ‘in absentia’
Efforts to “fastbreak” the confirmation of Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas as chief of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) by his former peers before the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA) “in absentia” started even as he was not among those scheduled for confirmation in yesterday’s proceedings.
This fastbreak move by Roxas’ allies in the CA, however, proved futile under the prying eyes of their overall chairman, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile. Enrile, concurrent chairman of the bicameral appointments body noted that such unprecedented move can only result in damaging consequences on the CA as an institution.
Enrile was able to prevail upon some apparent eager beaver CA members, reminding them to be “cautious here because the institution may suffer. They might think that we are unduly favoring… a tayo-tayo system is coming into play.”
As the CA screening committee endorsed the approval in the plenary the nomination to the designation of Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez and Aurora Lagman as private sector representative to the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) due to lack of oppositors, Sen. Panfilo Lacson moved to waive the notice and publication requirements imposed on Cabinet nominees undergoing confirmation so Roxas could be allowed to “immediately” assume the top DILG post, citing its vital duty to oversee local governments and the Philippine National Police.
“Maybe we can schedule the confirmation hearing of Roxas because the agency he is about to head is a very important, sensitive agency. The crime rate is fast rising, at least in Metro Manila and we need somebody in the saddle right away. The proposal is to waive the requirements of publication and schedule him in the next hearing,” Lacson said.
This was seconded by Sen. Joker Arroyo who noted that their former colleague has passed through the CA three times ib the past.
“So with all that, we are supposed to consider the fitness of the nominee but his record speaks for itself,” Arroyo said.
As if on cue, CA majority leader Rodolfo Antonino promptly moved to confirm Roxas even in his absence, citing Roxas’ record as a former senator, former House majority leader and current Secretary of Transportation and Communication until he was named to replace the late DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo who died in a plane crash lat Aug. 18.
Antonino sought permission from Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III, chairman of the CA committee on local governments that has yet to conduct confirmation hearings on Roxas’ latest Cabinet posting to suspend the rules.
Sotto noted the need to observe a seven day notice and publication.
“Even if he has already submitted all the requirements, we need to do that. I had a call from Secretary Roxas asking me yesterday to schedule all,” Sotto said.
“It is a precedent I do not want to set but I will move that Roxas be confirmed in plenary today. It is not a secret, the world already knows that Mr. Roxas has been nominated to the DILG…it has been in the news (so) publication, in effect, has been done...This would be the fastest confirmation in CA history,” Antonino said, even adding that, “nothing prevents us from confirming Secretary Roxas in absentia.”
Arroyo noted that while he shared Lacson’s concern on the urgency of filling up the vacant DILG post, “there are powers that we cannot abdicate. We have to satisfy the requirement to notify the public and give a chance to anyone who wants to object. The public cannot be deprived of its right to oppose nominees to public office.”
Arroyo suggested as a compromise that the CA can shorten the seven day publication requirement so Roxas can be confirmed earlier, or at the CA session next week.
Enrile then cautioned his colleagues that there could pose a problem if they unanimously waive all the rules and the requirements.
Enrile affirmed that the rules on CA confirmation proceedings can be waived only with unanimous consent of the members.
“The institution might suffer (if we rush this). People might say that we again have that tayo-tayo system here. Let us protect the institution. We will confirm him (Roxas) on the 19th after complying with the requirements,” Enrile ruled.
In another development, while the incoming secretary of the DoTC is going to keep the office personnel of the office of his predecessor, incoming secretary of the DILG, Secretary Roxas, is going to overhaul his office including the sacking of Undersecretary Rico Puno, a protégé of the president.
Thus far, however, the Palace appears to be retaining Puno in his position as undersecretary in the DILG.
Cavite Rep. Joseph Emilio Aguinaldo Abaya Jr., the incoming DoTC chief said that he will just bring in executive assistants who can answer his phone.
“I’m generally keeping his people, I said, I’m just bringing in executive assistants, someone who would answer my phone. He has a very competent team, the perception of stakeholders from the industry is, because the apprehension is we are new, and there will again be instant changes; a start from zero, then we bring in new people again and rules and it’s very big deterrent for the agency,” said Abaya who is expected to assume his post next month.
Abaya also said that he will retain the services of Virginia Torres as chief of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chairman Jaime Jacob.
“Until I get my feet wet, study the system and find reason to replace, we will keep everybody. It wouldn’t be logical that the moment I assume office, I would just replace people without reason so the safest is to retain until I have justification,” said Abaya.
Highly-placed sources from the Liberal party said that President Aquino had wanted Puno to stay as undersecretary of the DILG but Roxas had insisted that Puno should be removed.
The source said that the issue about Puno’s position is getting in the way of the already strained relationship between the President and Roxas who has been trying to get strategic positions in government for him and for his men.
The same source said that Roxas is not President Aquino’s choice to replace the late DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo but that Roxas’ allies in the LP insisted that the latter should replace Robredo.
Critics in the House of Representatives said that the DILG post could easily be abused for one’s personal political ambitions.
Roxas has been eyeing the presidency even before then Senator Aquino thought of running for the post. But Roxas slid down to run as Aquino’s running mate after huge public clamor that was triggered by the death of President Corazon Aquino, the president’s mother. Gerry Baldo
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