Duterte’s Cabinet

There has been a torrent of criticism about some of the Cabinet members recently named by our new great leader, Mr. Duterte. The thing is, Cabinet choices are really personal… they are the president’s alter ego.

Any president will demand leeway in appointing people he has confidence in until such time as his appointees have proven themselves unworthy of his and the nation’s trust. There is also the Commission of Appointments whose final blessing is needed.

Of course we want a good Cabinet because a president cannot do all, nor does he have the capacity to do all. Mr. Duterte has already said economics is not his cup of tea and he will depend on trained and reputable technical experts for that side of his presidency.

Then too, a president can have a pretty good Cabinet but still fail. That was the case with Erap. He had a rather strong Cabinet, but that didn’t stop him from doing the stupid stuff from the BW scam to that jueteng issue that eventually caused his impeachment.

Marcos had really good cabinet members –Carlos Romulo, Paeng Salas, Cesar Virata, Alex Melchor. Even the evil geniuses in the Marcos Cabinet were the best in their fields. In the end, it is the president who made all the decisions that resulted in his regime’s disgraceful end.

I tend to agree with a lot of the criticisms raised about Mr. Duterte’s initial selections, but I am reserving judgment. The only observation I will make at this point is about the geriatric nature of his Cabinet. Other than Mark Villar, most of his appointees are over 70 or nearly so.

I have nothing against senior citizens since I am one myself. I know that experience, as long as the person has learned from it, is an important element of decision making. The wisdom of older people ought to be treasured by younger generations so they don’t make the same old mistakes.

Still, a Cabinet should have a good sprinkling of old and young people, male and female, rich and poor. It isn’t just their technical preparation for their assignment that’s important. Their world view arising from gender and social class status are also important in making Cabinet-level decisions.

This is why I think the criticism of Mark Villar’s appointment at DPWH has gone overboard. Sure, there is an obvious conflict of interest with his family’s property development business. But even that has a positive side. Mark’s hands-on experience in their property business is an important input in his assignment.

Mark’s youthfulness also provides the Duterte Cabinet insights into how Pinoys his age view the world and how they want to shape it. A Cabinet of septuagenarians views the world looking back. Young people see the world looking forward.

A Cabinet appointment is also based on the element of trust which is rather personal. A president understandably wants people he knows well and trusts to surround him. He is, after all, responsible for their performance and he wants to be confident they understand him and what he wants to accomplish.

This is why P-Noy’s Cabinet was less than ideal. He was essentially an introvert who spent most of his time by himself or in the company of really close friends. I heard he was horrified to learn after he was elected there were some 5,000 positions to be filled. He was said to have wondered where he could get 5,000 names he could trust enough to consider.

Same thing is happening with Mr. Duterte. This is why he ended up appointing Jun Yasay as acting DFA secretary. Jun is one intelligent lawyer but diplomacy is obviously not his area of expertise. Diplomacy requires years of immersion. I don’t even think Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano can handle the position.

Indeed, diplomacy is probably the one Cabinet seat that requires a much older individual to fill. Here is where a septuagenarian is likely to have more respect with fellow septuagenarian foreign ministers. Diplomacy is a fine art where the best training can only be had through experience.

To me, the ideal person for the job is someone like retired Ambassador Rodolfo Severino. Rod had been DFA undersecretary and most importantly, he was secretary-general of ASEAN. He is highly respected in diplomatic circles specially in the region.

Rod is also an expert on the Law of the Seas. We need his service at DFA at this time when we have this problem with China and we need to muster regional and international support. We also need him as we go into ASEAN economic integration.

I don’t know what Rod is doing now, nor do I know the status of his health. I heard he is with a Singapore Think Tank. But we need someone like him at this time when the conduct of foreign policy is at the topmost part of the new president’s agenda. Jun Yasay will be an OJT Secretary of Foreign Affairs.

I like what Jun Yasay said about prioritizing OFW concerns. But that is also what made our diplomats less effective in their work as diplomats. After the Contemplacion case, our ambassadors have become caretakers of OFWs and have given less importance to other responsibilities.

That’s why we don’t have high caliber experts on China at the DFA. There aren’t even enough high- level career diplomats who speak Mandarin, if any. Yet China is the biggest diplomatic problem we have.

Appoint a high-level DOLE representative in key OFW countries to take care of OFW concerns, but it is time to let our diplomats become diplomats again. That is the challenge to the new administration.

I like the appointment of Sonny Dominguez for Finance. He will bring confidence that the new administration will continue to be fiscally responsible.

I don’t know Art Tugade, but from his life story he seems like a good man. I always respect entrepreneurs who had to worry about meeting payroll. They are results oriented and that is something DOTC badly needs. Hopefully, he gets really qualified and technically oriented second liners, not those awful lawyers Mar Roxas brought in.

I don’t know if Mr. Duterte has appointed a Tourism secretary by the time this column sees print. But he needs a marketing guy with good people skills like incumbent Mon Jimenez. Off the top of my head, I can think of someone like Simeon “Jun” Ventura who published PAL’s Mabuhay magazine for years.

He recently did a book on the Philippines that shows not just the usual beautiful photos from Batanes to Tawi tawi, but very useful tips on where to go, how to get there, and what to do. Results oriented, his current ventures make him very market-oriented because he risks his own money on the viability of his bright ideas.

I don’t have much to say about the other appointments, other than to let them show what they can do. Even Sal Panelo’s appointment as spokesman isn’t the end of the world. We need entertainment from Malacañang on a daily basis and Sal’s sartorial taste, among other out of the world qualities, will provide that.

Even Mr. Duterte is entertained by Panelo. In an interview with SunStar Cebu, Mr. Duterte said: “There will be a press office and a presidential spokesman, who is Atty. (Salvador) Panelo. You know, he’s funny. Today, he’s wearing leather pants.”

Mr. Duterte has not even started his term. Indeed, he has not even been officially proclaimed by a congressional canvass. Let us give him enough space to try and form his government. We elected him and, in the end, he is responsible to all of us.

Boo Chanco’s e-mail address is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @boochanco.