CA rejects Lopez
The powerful Commission on Appointments (CA), following a closed-door voting, rejected yesterday the appointment of Regina Paz La’O Lopez as Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) secretary.
Sen. Emmanuel Pacquiao, chairman of the CA Environment and Natural Resources Committee, announced the verdict on Lopez following the closed-door voting. Lopez thus became the second member of President Duterte’s Cabinet to be rejected by the 25-member constitutional body.
Before Lopez, Perfecto Yasay’s appointment as Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) secretary was rejected by the bicameral body because he is not a Filipino citizen.
CA members, however, refused to make a headcount of who voted for or against Lopez’s confirmation.
“I can’t remember because it was a secret balloting,” Isabela Rep. Rodolfo T. Albano III, CA Majority Leader, told Senate reporters on questions on who voted for or against Lopez and the reasons for their votes.
But Lopez, who met the press shortly after the confirmation process, said the voting was eight in her favor and 16 against.
Before the closed-door voting, Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito told reporters that he would ask Pacquiao to ask San Juan Rep. Ronaldo B. Zamora, CA vice chairman, to inhibit himself from the voting process.
Zamora’s brother has financial interests in Nickel Asia, one of the mines ordered closed by Lopez because of environmental concerns.
Zamora had denied any direct link to his brother’s mining interests.
Sen. Alan Peter S. Cayetano had earlier said there was no pressure from Malacañang on CA members to confirm or reject Lopez’s appointment.
During the public hearing by the Pacquiao committee, Lopez had ran through a gauntlet of various charges such as conflict of interest, she ran the DENR like a strongman by imposing fines on mining firms without a legal cover, and yanked out personnel who did not meet her standards.
She denied having asked a US firm to recommend the rejection of applicants or current personnel through the Chinese Feng Shui method.
The senators who stood to register their support for Lopez’s confirmation were Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III and Senators Ejercito, Loren Legarda, and Francis Pangilinan.
Albano told Manila Bulletin that not all House members voted against Lopez.
After the plenary session, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III said it is pointless for President Duterte to re-appoint Lopez because the CA has already rejected her appointment.
“When I banged the gavel (as CA chairman), she ceases to be secretary. She’s no longer secretary now,” he added.
During yesterday’s plenary session, Pimentel said he was assured by Pacquiao that his committee had more than 13 or at least 13 votes to reject Lopez’s appointment.
“That is more than 13. That’s the minimum vote to approve or disapprove,” he said, adding that Lopez dropped by his office after the CA’s rejection of her appointment.
“I wished her the best,” he said.
Asked how the President would receive the news of Lopez’s rejection, Pimentel replied: “The President is aware of the constitutional set up. The President knows that there are 104 million Filipinos who also love the environment.” Charges filed Meanwhile, Lopez facing 1130-extortion charges filed by Citinickel Mines Development Corporation (CMDC) before the Office of the Ombudsman.
CMDC lawyer Lorna Kapunan said Lopez wanted the mining firm to put up the multi-million performance bond to be allowed to continue transporting and exporting already mined ores in its concession.
The lady-lawyer said that there was no need to put up the additional bond because CDMC has been depositing two similar funds as required under the Mining Act.
According to Kapunan, Lopez wanted the money to be deposited to a non-governmental organization, Espanola Community Administrative Services, Inc. (ECASI), which is engaged in the environment rehabilitation project in Narra and Espanola in Palawan.