Estrada to disband ‘midnight Cabinet’

The days of the "midnight Cabinet" are numbered.

President Estrada has vowed to disband the so-called "midnight Cabinet" as part of the major reform measures he plans to institute in the new year, according to outgoing Executive Secretary Ronaldo Zamora.

In one of his last acts as executive secretary, Zamora said the President was intent on disbanding the "midnight Cabinet" comprised of controversial presidential friends and drinking buddies who stay at Malacañang until the wee hours of the morning.

"There has been a big change in the work schedules," Zamora said. "There is no ‘midnight Cabinet’ anymore. I can assure you of that."

Zamora explained that the idea of a "midnight Cabinet" was only suggested by the comments of sacked presidential chief-of-staff Aprodicio Laquian earlier this year.

Laquian had lightly but publicly complained of having to ask the President to sign papers at 4 a.m. at Malacañang where only Laquian was sober.

An enraged Mr. Estrada immediately accepted last March 22 the resignation of Laquian, who was reportedly recommended by Mr. Estrada’s brother-in-law Dr. Raul de Guzman.

The "midnight Cabinet" used to include Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson who exposed Mr. Estrada as the alleged receiver of hundreds of millions in protection money from jueteng operators.

"His friends developed the habit of coming to see him late at night," Zamora said. "And President Estrada had been too kind by not turning anyone away. So it became sort of regular and it was really destroying him."

"(But) there have been really big changes. There is now a more focused attention to the issue of governance," he added.

Zamora also noted that Mr. Estrada has made drastic changes in both his lifestyle and work style.

"He saw that he really had to awake at the right hours. So in the mornings he has to read and go over documents and papers," Zamora said, adding that Mr. Estrada has adopted more formal and structured meetings with members of the official family.

Zamora admitted that some of the reform may be largely due to the impeachment trial’s "wake-up call" on the presidency.

The prosecution panel scored a blow on Friday when a bank executive testified that Mr. Estrada owned a bank account under the name of Jose Velarde.

Equitable-PCIBank senior vice president Clarissa Ocampo had testified that she was right beside the President when he signed as Jose Velarde the trust account documents involving a transaction amounting to P500 million.

Ocampo also testified that she and Mr. Estrada were in the company of two lawyers and Laquian. The prosecution is now reportedly considering to call Laquian to testify against the President.

Laquian’s abrupt departure from Malacañang boosted the stock of Zamora, whose executive powers were trimmed when Laquian came aboard as chief-of-staff.

Zamora’s terminal leave of absence becomes effective today. He will be replaced by Senior Deputy Executive Secretary and Presidential Management Staff chief Ramon Cardenas. — Marichu Villanueva