This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. VI, No. 2, February 12-18, 2006
Cabinet Revamp: Part of a Grand Design?
Controversial allies by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo have been designated
to key positions in her cabinet. This, said Fernando Hicap of the fisher folk
group Pamalakaya, is part of President Arroyo’s grand design to stay in power
and to consolidate her forces by rewarding her allies for sticking by her side
through thick and thin.
By Jhong dela Cruz Controversial allies by
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo have been designated to key positions in her
cabinet. This, said Fernando Hicap of the fisher folk group Pamalakaya, is part
of President Arroyo’s grand design to stay in power and to consolidate her
forces by rewarding her allies for sticking by her side through thick and thin.
Six cabinet movements have
transpired in a week: the appointment of Representatives Ronaldo Puno to head
the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), and Rolando Andaya as
budget secretary; the designation of former DILG Secretary Angelo Reyes to head
the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR); Secretary Michael
Defensor was moved from the DENR to the Office of the President; Western Samar
Rep. Eduardo Nachura was appointed as chief legal counsel; presidential adviser
Edgardo Pamintuan was placed as chairman of the Subic-Clark Area Development
Council (SCAD); and Dr. Esperanza Cabral, former director of the Philippine
Heart Center, is now secretary of the Department of Social Work and Development.
The appointments were
announced last Feb. 4 and Feb. 5. This early, a few are already fulfilling what
are expected of them while the others will likely follow suit. Who’s who DILG Secretary Ronald Puno
is president of the Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Partner of the Free
Filipino) or Kampi, the party formed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in
1998. Puno was elected congressman of the 1st district of Antipolo
City in 2004. Puno served as assistant
DILG secretary during the Marcos regime and was DILG chief to former President
Estrada. His appointment, which came
a month after the Lakas directorate met and finalized plans for Charter Change
or Cha-cha, is seen as a catalyst by mobilizing the support of local authorities
to the planned constituent assembly. Budget Secretary Rolando
Andaya, a native of Bicol, belongs to a political clan from Camarines Sur. He
is in his third and last term as congressman. Andaya’s appointment came at a
time when the 2006 budget is undergoing deliberation before the Senate. Former DENR Secretary
Michael Defensor is a staunch ally of the President Arroyo. He defended the
president in issues not even related to his former post as DENR secretary. His
appointment as chief of the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) did not come as
a surprise. Former Western Samar Rep.
Eduardo Nachura and now chief legal counsel was a member of the prosecution team
in impeachment proceedings against Estrada. He was undersecretary for legal
affairs of the Department of Education, Culture, and Sports (DECS) from 1994 to
1998. He was also a commissioner of the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board
for one year in 1993. Nachura headed the House committee on constitutional
amendments during the 12th congress. DENR Secretary Angelo Reyes
was chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines during Estrada's
term. He helped place Arroyo to the presidency when he withdrew support from
Estrada in 2001. He was subsequently appointed as secretary of the Department of
National Defense where he became controversial after the Oakwood mutineers
implicated him to the series of bombings in Mindanao in 2002 allegedly to
justify the request from the U.S. government of additional anti-terror funds.
As DILG chief, he ordered the siege at Camp Bagong Diwa in Bicutan leading to
the death of 22 inmates. Edgardo Pamintuan, now
chair of the Subic-Clark Area Development Council (SCAD) was said to have took
part in the reopening of peace negotiations between the government and the
National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) in 2004. Under Arroyo’s
term, he was appointed as general manager of the National Housing Authority. Esperanza Cabral, a
cardiologist and former head of the Philippine Heart Center filled up the
position left vacant by former Secretary Dinky Soliman who bolted out from
Arroyo’s camp and led the so-called Hyatt 10. Another recent appointee is
Commissioner Jose Mario Buñag of the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Buckling down to work On his very first day,
Secretary Puno has reportedly been seeking support for the Arroyo
administration’s Charter Change (Cha-cha) initiative from both chambers of
Congress. Puno in media interviews, have expressed confidence that his group
will get the required three-fourths vote from the House of Representatives and
Senate voting separately. The 34-member Kampi aims to gather 195 signatures
from both chambers of congress and senate. Secretary Angelo Reyes
immediately began an aggressive campaign to lure foreign investors into
investing in the mining industry. The Arroyo administration is banking on the
mining industry to bring in the much-desired foreign capital to prop-up the
economy in spite of stiff opposition from cause-oriented groups and the Catholic
Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines. Secretary Reyes is enticing
foreign investors to set-up facilities for commercial mining operations in more
than nine million hectares of "untapped, mineral-rich" lands across the country.
His department has identified some 24 mining ventures, which need about $8
billion in capital for minerals exploration in the next five to six years.
Budget Secretary Andaya is
now at the center of controversy as the Arroyo administration expanded the
coverage of Executive Order 464 to include the attendance of government
officials in budget hearings. Senators charged that the non-attendance of
cabinet officials will cause the failure of Congress to approve the 2006
budget. This, they said, will lead to a reenactment of the 2005 budget and will
enable the President to transfer funds from one office to another. With a more
flexible appropriation, the President will need a reliable ally as budget
secretary. Also part of the 2006 budget is the proposed P5-billion Kilos Asenso
Fund (Move towards Progress) and a P3-billion Kalayaan Fund (Freedom Fund),
itemized for the DILG and DND---raw funds that are being eyed for use to
jumpstart the government's campaign to drum up the Cha-Cha through a people's
initiative. Grand design Hicap said that the new
appointments are part of a “grand design” to enable Arroyo to remain in power
and consolidate her forces. Senator Aquilino Pimentel
in a January 13 press release said that the impending appointment of Ronaldo
Puno is part of the preparations to influence, if not to directly manipulate,
the result of the proposed plebiscite on Charter change (Cha-Cha). "If Puno gets to assume the DILG post, then
we may be seeing a replay of GMA's appointment of Virgilio Garcillano to the
Commission on Election (Comelec), which we all know led to massive cheating in
the 2004 elections," Pimentel said. Bayan Muna representative
Joel Virador for his part blasted Reyes for his “heartless stand on the
environment and indigenous peoples in offering the country to unbridled foreign
plunder of our mineral resources.” “In appointing Reyes to the
environment portfolio, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has sent the signal to the public
that she will push for large-scale, foreign mining operations in the country.
This appointment is also a declaration of war on the environment, our indigenous
peoples and national patrimony,” Virador said. “With the background of
the recent appointees, people can already see the reasons for their
appointments…Arroyo cannot fool the people because they know she will do all she
can to stay in power,” Hicap said. Senators noted that cabinet
officials due for confirmation have also refused to attend the hearings of the
Commission on Appointments citing Executive Order 464. This, critics say, may
be part of the Arroyo administration’s attempt to circumvent the need for
congressional approval to the new appointments. Hicap said, “These
appointments and maneuvers will be political suicide for Arroyo…their
appointments will be short-lived however the president keeps them intact because
she will drag them down with her.” Bulatlat © 2006 Bulatlat
■
Alipato Publications Permission is granted to reprint or redistribute this article, provided its author/s and Bulatlat are properly credited and notified.
Bulatlat