Admin coalition defends appointment of SSS exec

MANILA, Philippines — The administration coalition on Friday defended the appointment of a supporter of Liberal Party presidential bet Manuel Roxas II as commissioner of the Social Security System (SSS), where she allegedly earned close to P6-million per year.

Koalisyon ng Daang Matuwid spokesman and Akbayan Rep. Ibarra Gutierrez believes Roxas supporter Eliza Bettina Antonino was not appointed to the pension fund “out of the blue.”

"I think she has ran several successful businesses. Perhaps her professional profile is available online so you can look it up. But, what I would like to emphasize is that she was not appointed out of the blue and remained in her position because she is close to someone," Gutierrez said.

"The GCG (Governance Commission for Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations) review her performance in a yearly basis and you should probably talk to GCG about its assessment and why they continue to recommend her appointment," he added.

Previous reports said Antonino is a hotel and restaurant management graduate and was just 30 years old when she was named SSS commissioner.

She was allegedly the highest paid SSS official, earning close to P6-million a year. Antonino was seen in some sorties of administration coalition and photos of her with Roxas and Vice Presidential candidate Leni Robredo also surfaced online. 

Critics have questioned her qualifications, saying her appointment reflected patronage under the Aquino administration.

Gutierrez said Antonino represented the "general public" in the SSS board.

"She joined some sorties because she belongs to a family of our leaders in Mindanao," Gutierrez said.

"As to her record, I really can't really speak to it, I’m not familiar with her work history," he added.