3 remaining Cabinet appointees to be bypassed

MANILA, Philippines -  The Commission on Appointments (CA) will most likely bypass the three remaining unconfirmed members of President Duterte’s Cabinet when Congress adjourns its first regular session on June 3.

The three are department secretaries Judy Taguiwalo of social welfare and development, Rafael Mariano of agrarian reform and Paulyn Jean Ubial of health.

“We are running out of time to conduct hearings on their confirmation. We will hold four more sessions before the sine die adjournment,” Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III, who is CA majority leader, said yesterday.

Among the three unconfirmed Cabinet members, he said the one who has “better chances of getting confirmed is Secretary Taguiwalo.”

“I hope none of them suffers the fate of secretaries Yasay and Lopez,” he said.

Albano was referring to former department secretaries Perfecto Yasay Jr. of foreign affairs and Regina Lopez of environment and natural resources, whose appointments the CA has rejected.

It was the first time in post-martial law years that the CA disapproved the appointments of two Cabinet members in a particular administration.

Some lawmakers consider the rejections an embarrassment for President Duterte, since they put into question his personal judgment and the vetting process done for Cabinet members.

The three unconfirmed Cabinet members are facing opposition from members of the House of Representatives.

Taguiwalo is being opposed by many congressmen for her handling of funds lawmakers have appropriated for their districts through her department.

She once told them that the funds did not belong to them. She has ordered her field personnel to ignore referral letters from congressmen, senators, other politicians and even from members of the judiciary.

Taguiwalo referred to the allocations as part of the Priority Development Assistance Fund, the official name of the congressional pork barrel that the Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional in November 2013.

Taguiwalo’s statement angered congressmen.

As for Mariano, some policies he is pursuing, like the ban on the conversion of agricultural lands into other uses and the cancellation of sold or leased certificates of land ownership award (CLOA), have become controversial among House members.

Two weeks ago, he had a feud with a Tarlac congressman over certificates disposed of by farmer-beneficiaries of the government’s land distribution program.

In the case of Ubial, Rep. Harry Roque of party-list group Kabayan has filed a formal opposition against her for her alleged ambivalence in the case of a newly discovered dengue vaccine.

Ubial said she had opposed the P3.5-billion vaccine procurement during the time of former secretary Janette Garin and the use of the new vaccine on a large scale among public school students. 

Three students died six months after receiving their first dose of the vaccine, though it had not been established whether their deaths were connected to their inoculation.