Gamaliel Cordoba

Commission on Audit Chair Gamaliel Cordoba failed last week to have his appointment confirmed by the Commission on Appointments, which deferred the proceedings after opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros confronted him about his “questionable” track record as onetime chair of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC). Hontiveros brought up the promise Cordoba, as NTC chief, made before lawmakers to grant a provisional franchise to ABSCBN. This was after the network’s application for franchise renewal was denied by the House of Representatives during the Duterte administration. The senator reminded Cordoba of the impact of not keeping his promise—starting with the fate of 11,000 media workers who lost their jobs, and the public losing a major source of information. She also pressed Cordoba on how he would perform as head of the state auditing agency. Cordoba said he would not allow himself to be pressured on his new job, even as he apologized to the people affected by his decisions at the NTC, which he said only upheld the “rule of law.”