Romulo to become executive secretary?

President Arroyo hinted yesterday she may reshuffle her Cabinet after ailing Executive Secretary Renato de Villa filed an indefinite leave of absence.

The President confirmed she would likely name Finance Secretary Alberto Romulo to take over as executive secretary. De Villa underwent a triple heart bypass surgery two weeks ago.

Should De Villa decide to quit the high-pressure post of "Little President" for good, Trade and Industry Secretary Manuel Roxas II will be transferred to the finance department.

A reliable Palace source told The STAR the President would likely name Interior and Local Government Secretary Jose Lina to take over as the new trade and industry secretary.

"The search is still on for the new DILG secretary," the source said.

This will be the first major Cabinet reshuffle since President Arroyo assumed the presidency on Jan. 20 but during a news conference at Malacañang yesterday, she said the appointments of Roxas and Lina would only take place should De Villa decide to leave.

"I have not appointed them but Secretary De Villa is going on indefinite leave. So I have told them (Roxas and Lina) I would have to make that kind of rigodon if this becomes quite permanent. But it does not have to be done now," the President said.

She assured the planned "transition" will not take place abruptly because she could not afford to make major changes in the agenda now being implemented by her economic team.

"That’s the reason why I said I’m not in a hurry to implement it. Precisely because of the many economic initiatives that are underway. If they feel the transition would be smooth enough, then we can go into that transition," she explained.

She noted that Romulo was really her first choice for the position of executive secretary but De Villa was named to the post because he practically served as executive secretary during the people power II that catapulted her to power.

"If he (De Villa) is really not available, then I will go back to the original relationships and that is really Bert Romulo," she added.

Romulo, a lawyer and former budget secretary during the Aquino administration, was a former colleague in the Senate whom she later tapped as secretary general of her KAMPI party when she decided to run for vice president in 1998.

Romulo said he will accept the whatever new assignment the President would give him.

Corona, for his part, welcomed the possible designation of Romulo as executive secretary, adding his assumption of De Villa’s duties was really a temporary arrangement only.

Corona, who was named acting executive secretary vice De Villa, reportedly prefers to be named to the Supreme Court.