Alan Peter gets fastest CA nod

MANILA, Philippines- In less than five minutes, the Commission on Appointments (CA) yesterday confirmed Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano as foreign affairs secretary, but delayed again the confirmation hearings of other Cabinet officials.

It has been the tradition in the CA to give courtesy to a fellow member of Congress appointed to a position in the executive branch.

The committee members were so eager to finish the hearing of Cayetano that Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III, CA majority leader, moved to recommend his confirmation even before he was able to take his seat.

“I now have the distinction or the privilege of presiding over the shortest confirmation hearing of a Cabinet secretary,” CA committee on foreign affairs chairman Sen. Panfilo Lacson said.

With the hearing practically concluded at that point, Cayetano just delivered his opening/closing statement.

The 46-year-old Cayetano said that he has been an elected official since 1992, starting as a councilor of the then municipality of Taguig. He was then elected as vice mayor, a three-term congressman of Taguig-Pateros and now a second-term senator.

Having been a member of both chambers of Congress and the CA, Cayetano vowed that he would do his best not to embarrass the CA for giving him their trust.

“In the field of foreign relations, while much has been done, there remains so much to do. Advocating and promoting our national interest, strengthening our bilateral and multilateral relations with other countries and organizations around the world, and of course the protection, welfare, comfort of all Filipinos overseas, particularly our modern day heroes,” he said.

Being an outsider in the field of foreign relations, Cayetano said that he is open to all suggestions and complaints.

Passports, special lane for OFWs

One of the first things that Cayetano would do when he assumes his new post is to discreetly visit the passport processing areas to see what problems exist and what could be done to address these.

Delays in appointments and long lines for passport applications and renewals have long been a problem for the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

A group of recruiters, the Federation of Manpower Exporters Inc. (FEDAMANEX), wrote to Cayetano asking him to reopen the special lane for newly hired overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). Recruiters have long been requesting the DFA to reopen a special lane for OFWs securing passports.

Alfredo Palmiery, FEDAMANEX president, said the President has promised to cut down red tape and reduce the lines at the passport offices, but consular officers are not complying with his order.

“The two-three months’ delay in securing an appointment with the Consular Affairs Department of the DFA has cut the chances of new overseas workers aspiring to work abroad. The delay in processing of passports from DFA prompted foreign employers to give up the job order,” Palmiery added.

Repair relationship with old allies

As far as foreign policy is concerned, Cayetano said that he intends to align what the President wants to accomplish: to be friends to all and enemies to none.

“Meaning, how we can improve our relationships with our new friends and how to repair whatever damage there is in our relationships with our old allies,” he said.

Cayetano was apparently referring to China and Russia as the country’s new friends, and the US as among the old allies. The Duterte administration has characterized its pivot to China and Russia as well as other traditional foes of the US and other Western powers as the pursuit of an independent foreign policy.

Duterte has been critical of the US’s alleged interference in the country’s internal affairs, particularly on his brutal war against drugs marred by thousands of killings and human rights violations.

Duterte also spewed insults and profanities at former US president Barack Obama, the European Union and United Nations for criticizing the killings in his drug war.

On the other hand, Duterte has made two visits to China since assuming office last June 30, and is schedule to travel to Russia next week.

“The instruction of the President is that any (country) who wants to help can do so freely, as long as there are no strings attached, especially on the campaign on drugs – we must not accept aid from those that want it stopped,” Cayetano said.

Duterte also wants the DFA to maximize the benefits of its pursuit of an independent foreign policy, from small scholarships to major infrastructure projects, he said.

“We’ll focus on the low-hanging fruits because the President wants the people to immediately feel the benefits of our independent foreign policy,” Cayetano said.

Cayetano said building strong ties, especially with countries that have committed multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects, was important “as the contract is only as good as your relationship.”

He said he started laying the groundwork in improving ties with the US after meeting with officials of the Trump administration last February when he was still a senator.

“We will try to build bridges whenever possible,” he added.

US Ambassador Sung Kim welcomed Cayetano’s confirmation.

“Warm congratulations to Secretary Cayetano. Look forward to working closely together,” Kim posted on Twitter.

Cayetano promises less talk

Cayetano, who has gained a reputation of being a verbose and outspoken lawmaker, also promised that he would make it a point to make shorter statements and to talk only on important policy issues or controversies.

Cayetano said he would continue to defend President Duterte, his runningmate in the 2016 elections, whenever necessary but in a more diplomatic style.

“Definitely the conversion from politician to diplomat or from public servant in general to statesman has to be there,” he said.

“I will continue to speak for the President, continue to speak when necessary but not in the political manner that was available to me when I was in the Senate. Because as chief diplomat I also have to consider the department and our relationships with other countries. In other words, I will be using a different language, a more diplomatic language,” he added.

Malacañang called Cayetano a “welcome addition” to the President’s official family. 

“Secretary Cayetano’s experience and legal acumen shall enrich the leadership of the Department of Foreign Affairs and promote and enhance our international relations with the countries of the world,” presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said in a statement. 

Abella also said Cayetano pushed for the bill extending the validity of the Philippine passport to ten years and the resolutions concurring with the ratification of the Articles of Agreement of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Philippine-Japan Agreement on Social Security and the Paris climate agreement.

3 Cabinet members bypassed

With just two weeks left before Congress adjourns session, Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III, assistant majority leader of the CA, said that the three remaining Cabinet members who have not yet been confirmed are already deemed bypassed.

They are Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo, Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano and Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial.

“I am very disappointed by the cancellation of my confirmation hearing. I am willing and prepared to submit to their questioning. It is not clear as to why in my case the CA should continue to delay this process of confirmation or disapproval of my appointment, if such is their wish, especially after it was shown that the CA can make a decision in a matter of minutes,” Taguiwalo said.

“What is clear is that all this has the effect of torture on me… I hope the esteemed members of the CA also realize that postponing or delaying my confirmation hearing has a negative impact in one way or another on the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and how it delivers its programs and services to the public. We are all placed in limbo – not just myself,” she added.

Advocacy group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) slammed the second postponement of the confirmation hearing of Taguiwalo.

“She has stated that DSWD funds are not pork barrel funds of lawmakers. Is this postponement a prelude to Judy’s rejection? Will the CA again uphold narrow interests over public welfare?” Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. said

The CA also deferred the confirmation of Ubial after she continued to face strong opposition.

During the hearing of the CA committee on health chaired by Sen. Gregorio Honasan, Ubial was accused of repeatedly lying before Congress, incompetence, wasting public funds and corruption by Kabayan party-list Rep. Harry Roque.

“The appointee has a propensity to lie. She lied to the public when she declared that Zika virus is not endemic to the Philippines,” Roque said.

He also alleged that Ubial flipped-flopped on the government’s P3-billion dengue vaccination program and has been working on illegally diverting the funds for the program for the acquisition of pneumonia vaccines under suspicious circumstances.

He said Ubial has been justifying the acquisition of pneumonia vaccines using data from the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. that purportedly showed high demand. But the data were unreliable owing to the reports of fraudulent claims in PhilHealth.

He also found it suspicious that Ubial ordered nearly six million doses of the vaccine, quadruple the annual average order of the health department.

Secret balloting review

Meanwhile, the CA committee on rules is set to take up the resolution filed by Sen. Paolo Benigno Aquino IV seeking a review of the CA rule on secret balloting, Sotto said.

Aquino questioned the rule following the controversy brought about by the CA’s vote to reject former environment secretary Gina Lopez, which was the first application of the new rule.

Honasan said hearings on the pending appointments, including that of Mariano who was originally scheduled for May 24, would have to be put on hold until the matter of secret balloting is resolved.– With Alexis Romero, Mayen Jaymalin, Pia Lee-Brago, Rainier Allan Ronda, Elizabeth Marcelo