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PRESIDENT Arroyo has directed concerned Cabinet
officials to ask for the courtesy resignation of her
presidential appointees in government-owned and
-controlled corporations (GOCCs).
Finance
Secretary Margarito Teves said in an interview with
reporters after the Independence Day Vin d’ Honneur in
Malacañang that Mrs. Arroyo gave the directive at a
meeting with some Cabinet officials on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said he
has submitted to President Arroyo the ad interim
appointments of at least 11 Cabinet officials who have
yet to be confirmed by the Commission on Appointments
(CA).
Ermita
told reporters in an interview that the President will
submit the appointments when Congress opens session.
“They
have to be reappointed by the President in an interim
capacity. We will see if the President would sign
everybody’s appointment in interim capacity. I just
submitted it to the President and we would await the
President’s action,” he said.
Those
awaiting the CA’s nod are Secretaries Rolando Andaya Jr.
of budget, Esperanza Cabral of social welfare, Francisco
Duque III of health, Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. of defense,
Peter Favila of trade and industry, Raul Gonzalez of
justice, Raphael Lotilla of energy, Romulo Neri of the
Neda, Ronaldo Puno of the interior and local government,
Angelo Reyes of environment and Margarito Teves of
finance.
Teves,
who was among those in the meeting, said the President
wants “all appointees” in GOCCs and government financial
institutions to submit their courtesy resignation to
give her some “flexibility” in reviewing their
performance and determine who stays or goes.
“Right
now, it’s really just the flexibility of reviewing the
members who were appointed by the President. Perhaps
there will be some criteria later on who to retain and
whom to allow for some adjustments,” he said.
He said
that presidential appointees, mostly high-level GOCC
officials, include chairmen, presidents and members of
the board.
He
added: “I think it will start from there. Then of
course, it could expand to all other appointees outside
of the GOCC, but that’s her call.”
Teves
said that the President is expected to formalize the
directive in a memorandum.
The
President had said on several occasions that she would
make changes in the national government after the May 14
elections.
She is
expected to fill in vacancies left by Roberto
Pagdanganan who chaired the Philippine International
Trading Corp. before he ran for Bulacan governor and
Joey Salceda, former Presidential Chief of Staff who won
as Albay governor; as well as National Treasurer Omar
Cruz. |
