Widening the net
Having earlier professed not to know many people in and out of the government, President Rodrigo Duterte indeed has a limited scope to scout for potential talents and wide experience – if not with brilliant minds – he could recruit to join his administration. The talent search committee of President Duterte, if he ever has one, has to widen its net to find the best and the brightest for his administration as it enters its second year in office.
The search for qualified appointees to Cabinet and other government posts so far named has been obviously the weakness of the Duterte administration. Already, five of original Duterte Cabinet appointees were rejected one after the other last year at the Commission on Appointments (CA).
This happened despite the 25-man bicameral body is composed of Duterte allies in the ruling majority of the 17th Congress. During the first regular sessions of Congress, the CA rejected the President’s nomination of his erstwhile Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. in March last year.
In the second regular sessions of that same year, the CA chopped off four more Duterte Cabinet. These were, namely in the order of their rejection at the CA: Secretaries Gina Lopez of Environment (May); Judy Taguiwalo of Social Services (August); Rafael Mariano of Agrarian Reform (September); Paulyn Ubial of Health (October).
In fairness, President Duterte has kept to his public avowals he would not interfere with the internal affairs of a co-equal branch of government like Congress. True to his words, the Chief Executive did not lift a finger to save any one of them.
In September last year, a leak from Malacanang claimed a Cabinet member was asked to resign due to alleged “conflict of interest.” Several weeks later, Secretary Rodolfo Salalima resigned from his post at the Department of Information and Communication Technology (DICT). Salalima vehemently denied the allegations but pointed to alleged “pressures” went into play for his removal as DICT Secretary.
It was less painful exit compared to what earlier happened to former Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Ismael Sueno. After letting out a mouthful over questioned firetruck deal, President Duterte fired him in the presence of the entire Cabinet during their meeting at the Palace in April last year. But Sueno’s woes did not end there.
He became the favorite whipping boy of President Duterte in many subsequent public extemporaneous speeches about his vow to remove with haste any government official even on “just a whiff of corruption” complaint once verified. Initially, Sueno was replaced by DILG Undersecretary Catalino Cuy in “acting” capacity.
A month later, the President announced he would appoint as the next DILG Secretary his then Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Eduardo Año as soon as the latter goes on early retirement.
The President had to initially appoint though Año as DILG Undersecretary due to existing complications of the retirement law for retired military general being appointed to DILG Secretary. But while Congress is still not in session last week, the President finally designated Undersecretary Año as officer-in-charge (OIC) of the DILG.
On the other hand, Cuy has been moved over to become the new chairman of Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB). Cuy took over from retired Gen. Dionisio Santiago who was similarly given the Palace boot late last year over “whiff of corruption” accusations.
Todate, three Cabinet posts have remained vacant and is headed by OIC. These are, namely, DSWD still headed by Undersecretary Emmanuel Leyco; DICT is headed by Undersecretary Eliseo Rio; and Año at DILG.
When sessions of the 17th Congress resume starting today, the appointment of Dr. Francisco Duque as Health Secretary is up for confirmation. As a comebacking Health Secretary, it should be smooth-sailing for Duque at the CA.
Aside from the “whiff of corruption,” President Duterte lately added his own travel warning to government executives who indulge on foreign trips at taxpayers’ money.
Dismissed for excessive travels abroad were former Kabataan party list Terry Ridon as chairperson of the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor and Marcial Amaro III as administrator of the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA).
Last Thursday, President Duterte disclosed he will remove in the next few days another “chairman” in government office without naming who or what agency. “This is really a purging regime. I think that I have been spending a lot of time just to clean up the government. I would consume four years for the time that I would be there. Ayaw ko na lang mag-drama (I just don’t want any drama),” President Duterte told his audience.
The next day, presidential spokesman Harry Roque announced the resignation of Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board chairman Jose Jorge Corpuz. But Roque quickly clarified. Corpuz is not “the chairman” referred to by the President. Roque went on to describe the PCSO board chairman as an “invaluable worker in government” and quoted President Duterte having said he would fire another “chairman” because of corruption.
The Chief Executive always says he would rather see voluntary resignation than fire anyone that could bring public shame to his or her appointee’s family, especially for their children who might be already professionals.
While showing strongman-rule in his sworn war against corruption, 72-year old President Duterte’s fatherly nature betrays his tough guy persona.
Thus, Roque’s disclaimer could not dispel suspicions there is more to this resignation. Corpuz, a retired military general, quit his post amid the controversy stirred by a fellow PCSO board member, Sandra Cam who questioned the “lavish” Christmas party for its employees.
So while he might have widened the net against graft and corruption, President Duterte is apparently applying safety net for his appointees he needs to fire, albeit on selective basis.
While showing strongman-rule in his sworn war against corruption, 72-year old President Duterte’s fatherly nature betrays his tough guy persona.