Gina out as DENR chief

MANILA, Philippines - Less than an hour before the Commission on Appointments (CA) convened in plenary, individual lawmakers were still unsure about the final vote on the case of controversial Environment Secretary Gina Lopez.

In the end, the 25-member CA rejected her appointment, citing her being unfit for the post.

Sen. Manny Pacquiao, chairman of the CA committee on environment that scrutinized Lopez’s appointment, recommended to the plenary the termination of deliberations after the body met the minimum 13 votes cast in secret balloting to decide on her case.

“With sadness in my heart, this committee, through this plenary, is terminating its deliberation on Gina Lopez’s appointment. Not in the way I personally wanted to, but by the decision of the majority, which I am sorry, but we must all respect,” Pacquiao said.

He described the CA deliberations on Lopez’s appointment that began last March as “perhaps the longest, most dramatic and most watched by all Filipinos from all walks of life, both rich and the poor.”

Senators said the vote was 16-8 with most of those rejecting Lopez’s appointment coming from the 12-member contingent from the House of Representatives.

Other sources, however, said the count was at 15-9.

In its decision, the panel also cited arguments from 30 “oppositors” to Lopez’s appointment.

Lopez and some of her officials and supporters were waiting in a room across the session hall, as the CA was in plenary.

Before the CA went on plenary session, hundreds of Lopez’s supporters, including those from militant organizations wearing green and red shirts, staged a rally in front of the Senate gates to press for her confirmation by the bicameral body.

Before Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III banged the gavel to formalize the rejection, Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III and Senators Joseph Victor Ejercito and Loren Legarda disclosed their vote on the floor supporting Lopez.

Sen. Francis Pangilinan, president of the Liberal Party, spoke for the LP senators on the floor, saying they had also voted for Lopez.

CA chairman Pimentel did not join the final closed-door caucus before the plenary session or cast his vote, which is only needed to break a tie.

Under CA rules, only 13 votes are needed to either confirm or reject the appointment of an official.

Sotto said he thought Manila Rep. Rosenda Ann Ocampo voted for Lopez.

Nothing irregular

San Juan Rep. Ronaldo Zamora, vice chairman of the committee and one of the lawmakers Lopez accused of lobbying for her rejection, said nothing irregular happened during the weeks of deliberations.

“I don’t speculate. That’s not my job. It is our job to count the votes and we counted it right. Everybody was there, everybody who should’ve been there was there, everybody voted,” Zamora told reporters.

Zamora’s older brother, Manuel, is the founder of mining giant Nickel Asia Corp. During one of the CA hearings, Lopez accused the elder Zamora of having “killed a mountain,” which led her to order the closure of his mine in Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur last February. Ejercito tweeted that Zamora should have inhibited from the CA secret balloting.

“Head of House contingent Ronny Zamora is the biggest proof that business interest prevailed in rejecting Sec. Gina Lopez! No delicadeza,” Ejercito tweeted.

Zamora shrugged off the comment, saying it had something to do with San Juan politics.

Pimentel said it would be pointless for President Duterte to reappoint Lopez as she would be surely rejected again by the CA.

“She’s no longer (environment secretary) now unfortunately, from the moment we banged the gavel,” Pimentel told reporters.

He said he met with Lopez in private before the CA went on plenary – but with the decision already known – and wished her well. “She knew it was a close fight,” Pimentel said.

He said Duterte would certainly abide by the CA decision as the latter respects the constitutional setup of checks and balances.

“We have 104 million Filipinos. Not only one loves the environment,” he said.

The CA deliberations centered on Lopez’s alleged arbitrary and even illegal practices at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, particularly her having ordered the cancellation of 75 mining contracts.

She was also assailed for appointing too many officials and consultants without appropriate legal cover.

“Many of us were uncertain that she really answered well. And it is not enough that you have passion for your job, it is not enough that you have certain conviction, it’s important too that you have every minimum qualification for the job,” Zamora said.

“You are not talking about small change job, you are talking about a job that has several tens of billions every year to spend. In the end something as important as this should not be left in untested hands,” he said.