Lawmaker wants ‘recycling’ of key gov’t execs banned

Key government officials should not be “recycled” – at least for three years.

Quezon City Rep. Winnie Castelo filed House Bill 3578 seeking to address numerous conflict-of-interest issues involving Cabinet members and other government officials, particularly those recruited from the private sector.

Castelo wanted a law that will temporarily ban the designation to a private firm of a government official who served in an industry of his expertise, which usually puts government at the losing end.

“We should put a stop to this recycling of government officials, especially those who have been recruited to serve in government. They should be barred from returning to their original posts in private companies for at least three years,” Castelo stressed.

“This will prevent such officials from continuing to exert undue influence on both government and industry after they have already left government service,” he said.

Castelo, chairman of the House of Representatives’ committee on Metro Manila development, said the practice is a “breeding ground for the promotion of conflict of interest.”

“Especially when the official is in the same industrial milieu. Hence, there is a need for a cooling down period to allow the official to lie low and to keep his influence at bay,” he said.

Castelo’s bill backed the strong stand taken by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and House Minority Leader Danilo Suarez who said such officials should be prevented from engaging in employment or business and undertaking activities or contracts within the same industry.

Castelo stressed that HB 3758 will also prohibit officials from going back to their “family- owned businesses” that deal directly with their previous agency, invoking that “public interest is paramount over their personal interests.”

During the hearing of the House committee on transportation on the proposed emergency powers on traffic for President Duterte, Alvarez questioned the loyalty of Department of Transportation officials, led by Secretary Arthur Tugade.

Alvarez cited the cases of former energy secretary Jose Rene Almendras, who worked for the Ayalas, and former public works secretary Rogelio Singson, who worked for businessman Manuel Pangilinan – both under the administration of former president Benigno Aquino III.

The same was true for former Customs commissioner Bert Lina whom Aquino appointed, amid a very obvious conflict of interest – Lina is among the owners of a freight forwarding company doing business with the Bureau of Customs.

Lina is now facing charges of plunder, graft and corruption, criminal conflict of interest, dishonesty, grave abuse of power and criminal neglect filed separately at the Ombudsman and the Manila regional trial courts.

The graft and other criminal cases were filed by now Rep. Harry Roque of party-list Kabayan, counsel for Annabelle Margaroli, authorized representative of Omniprime Marketing Inc. – a competitor of Lina’s E- Konek Pilipinas Inc.

Lina had even named six of his 17 companies that were directly transacting with the bureau: E- Konek Pilipinas, 2100 Customs Brokers, LGC Logistics, U- Freight Philippines Inc., New- Ocean Inc. and Air 21.

Alvarez noted Tugade’s family is in the transport and logistics business while his undersecretary for railways Noel Kintanar, is a former Ayala executive instrumental in his company’s acquisition of rail projects during the Aquino administration.

Tugade’s undersecretary for air transportation, Bobby Lim, is former country manager of the International Air Transport Association, while his undersecretary for maritime affairs Felipe Judan is in the shipping and logistics business.

The Ayalas, Pangilinan and businessman Ramon Ang of San Miguel Corp. have ongoing multibillion stakes in bigticket infrastructure projects such as the Metro Rail Transit System and Light Railway Transit. Ang’s SMC has stakes in MRT.

Tugade reportedly wanted to allow the Ang-owned MNHPI to engage in international trade, which port stakeholders were opposing since MNHPI has an existing exclusive contract with the Philippine Ports Authority to operate only in domestic trade. MNHPI stands for Manila North Harbor Port Inc.