Left-leaning members of the Duterte Cabinet on Wednesday criticized the decision of the Commission on Appointments (CA) to reject the appointment of Social Welfare Secretary Judy M. Taguiwalo.
In a news statement, the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) said Taguiwalo earned the ire of lawmakers for “her principled stand against the pork-barrel system”. The NAPC is headed by Liza L. Maza, who, like Taguiwalo, was a nominee of the National Democratic Front (NDF).
“We have allowed the oligarchs again to triumph over the Filipino people. The poor have already little representation, and we keep denying them the chance to be served by government officials like Secretary Judy, who is a staunch advocate of the poor and marginalized,” the statement read.
The NAPC said Taguiwalo has supported the agency’s flagship campaign, dubbed “Kilos Sambayanan”. “She believes there is a need for convergence of all the programs of the government agencies that provide direct social services to the Filipino people, which is what Kilos Sambayanan is,” the NAPC said.
Kilos Sambayanan is the NAPC’s poverty-reduction measure, which listed food and agrarian reform, water, shelter, education, health care, work, social protection, healthy environment, peace and participation as the 10 basic needs of the poor.
“Secretary Judy served the people well. In her first months in office, she was able to accomplish what her predecessors failed miserably to deliver in years—prompt and efficient delivery of services to the greatest number of poor Filipinos who need them most,” the NAPC added.
Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III, for his part, said he was astonished by the decision of the CA to reject the appointment of Taguiwalo.
“It’s unfortunate that the CA did not confirm her as social welfare secretary. She is, to me, one of the top performers,” Bello told the BusinessMirror.
Cabinet members, such as Presidential Communications Secretary Martin M. Andanar, also expressed their disappointment with the rejection of Taguiwalo. “Secretary Judy is one of the most hardworking Cabinet members and, for one year that we had her, we learned a lot from her dedication at work and for the country,” Andanar said in an interview with reporters.
He, however, assured social-welfare efforts intended for victims of the conflict in Mindanao will not be affected by the rejection of Taguiwalo. “I believe the democracy in the Department of Social Welfare and Development [DSWD] is stable…and the officials there can sustain the work,” Andanar added.
Taguiwalo is among the three leftist Cabinet members appointed by the President with the endorsement of the NDF. She is the third presidential appointee to be rejected by the CA, following the fate of erstwhile Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto R. Yasay Jr. and Environment Secretary Regina Paz L. Lopez.
Militant lawmakers, for their part, also strongly condemned the CA decision.
Party-list Rep. Ariel B. Casilao of Anakpawis said the rejection of Taguiwalo “will be a great lost not only to the department, its establish reforms, but also to poor Filipinos that have been given service under her watch.”
“The rejection of Secretary Taguiwalo only shows that the interest of patronage politics and corruption prevails. Those who are opposing her confirmation clearly are against pro-people reforms in the department,” Casilao said.
Casilao added many Duterte appointees who are members of powerful political clans and former army officials have been swiftly confirmed, while, on the other hand, progressive Cabinet members experience the opposite.
“We are hoping that the next DSWD secretary should continue the reforms in which Secretary Taguiwalo had started, promoting pro-people reforms, timely concern to the welfare of the poor and untainted by corruption style of work. It would be a waste if this reforms will not be kept”, Casilao said.
For their part, Gabriela Reps. Emmi De Jesus and Arlene Brosas, in a joint statement, said the CA “once more shamefully reveals its bias against the poor in rejecting Taguiwalo, consequently putting an end to the competent, honest and efficient service that Taguiwalo has offered to the people during her stint”.
The lawmakers also challenged members of the CA to reveal their votes and their reasons for rejecting Taguiwalo.
The lawamkers said Taguiwalo has stood against using the DSWD for political patronage, “barring pork-hungry officials from gaining full access to DSWD funds and ensuring that services and relief are delivered to those who truly need them”.
Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani T. Zarate, meanwhile, said, “The Duterte administration will be losing a very competent and dedicated DSWD secretary with this rejection and the majority of the people catered to by the DSWD would be the ones to suffer.”