Taguiwalo rejected as DSWD chief

THE Commission on Appointments (CA) rejected Wednesday, August 16, the ad interim appointment of Judy Taguiwalo as Social Welfare Secretary.

Taguiwalo opted to attend the plenary hearing despite the CA’s rejection of her appointment earlier in the day.

She said she wants to hear from the CA members their reasons for rejecting her.

“I want to listen to their reason and wisdom,” Taguiwalo said.

Several questions were raised during the two-hour question hours that concerned her views about the National Identification System for which Taguiwalo said that this should only be used for the Conditional

Cash Transfer and not to control or monitor any individual. She also expressed her view on tax reforms. Her links with the National Democratic Front was raised by Senator Gregorio Honasan when the latter asked her why the New People’s Army has been staging several attacks against government troops.

In response, Taguiwalo said she cannot speak for this issue because she was not part of the peace panel between the government and the NDF.

She said the recent attacks staged by the NPA were outside of her control and influence.

Taguiwalo, who opted to sit in the plenary session, said she cannot see the reason why she was rejected by the CA body. She maintained that her integrity is unquestionable and no one can question her competence.

Senator Francis Pangilinan, Ralph Recto, Loren Legarda and Juan Miguel Zubiri manifested support for her confirmation.

Prior to Taguiwalo’s rejection, she was technically bypassed twice by the powerful commission.

Taguiwalo is the third Cabinet appointee of President

Rodrigo Duterte who failed to get the CA nod. The first two include former Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay because of his citizenship issue and the second was former Environment Secretary Gina Lopez for policy and system in the handling the mining industry.

Malacañang said it was “saddened” that CA rejected the ad interim appointment of Taguiwalo.

Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella acknowledged Taguiwalo’s “passion, profession and integrity” during her stint as head of Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

“We are saddened by the Commission on Appointments’ rejection of Secretary Judy Taguiwalo,” Abella said in a statement, shortly after Taguiwalo failed to get CA’s nod.

“Secretary Taguiwalo had served the Duterte administration with passion, profession, and integrity. She made an impact in the lives of many Filipinos in her tenure as DSWD Secretary,” he added.

In a separate interview, Communications Secretary Martin Andanar expressed dismay over Taguiwalo’s failure to hurdle CA’s confirmation.

“Secretary Judy is a very hardworking Secretary. In one year, she’s with us and we learned so many things from her, especially her dedication to work, dedication to serve the nation. It’s sad she’s rejected,” he said.

Abella said the President is now looking and studying for Taguiwalo’s possible replacement in the DSWD. SunStar Philippines