Squabbling Duterte appointees

Obviously, it ain’t over yet until the fat lady sings, so to speak. This, after President Rodrigo Duterte disclosed he is set “to fire” another sub-Cabinet official from his administration. In his extemporaneous remarks last Thursday night during a dinner concert at Sofitel Philippines, President Duterte talked about an undersecretary who will soon be kicked out of office.

President Duterte did not say his name or what specific government agency the soon-to-be-jobless official is connected with. The latest casualty will follow the exit of former Department of Justice (DOJ) Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II who went on forced resignation earlier on that day. Last year, a very angry President Duterte fired a Budget undersecretary for having committed shenanigans in office.

Aguirre is a law classmate and Lex Talionis Fraternity brother of President Duterte at San Beda College. The ax fell on Aguirre a day after attending the 24th Cabinet meeting at Malacañang Palace where he joined in presenting a birthday cake to the 73-year-old President. Aguirre purportedly tendered his resignation letter to the President.

Actually, as early as March 15, The STAR first reported Aguirre is already on the way out following the controversial dismissal by DOJ prosecutors of illegal drugs cases against Cebuano businessman Peter Lim and self-confessed drug trader Kerwin Espinosa and several others. It was revealed to The STAR no less by President Duterte himself after he admitted to a select group of mainstream media columnists about his being not satisfied with the performance of his Cabinet as his administration turns two years old this June.

“I’m not happy (with Cabinet performance), yes,” the President replied. “One of them better run (in the coming May 2019 elections). I said go ahead, buti nga para sya matalo (serves him right if he loses),” he snickered.

Again, the President did not name the official. Aguirre is believed to be eyeing a Senate seat but is not faring in Palace-commissioned mock polls surveys. Subsequently reports, however, quoted him saying it will be his son who would run for a local position in their home province in Quezon.

The Chief Executive, however, sees his 2016 presidential campaign promises to fight corruption and drugs are on track. He, however, admitted some of his appointees have failed to live up in the delivery of his campaign promises. “I have fired so many of my friends. I have been firing and hiring good ones to replace them,” he pointed out.

To date, at least a dozen high-ranking government officials have either been sacked or resigned from office since President Duterte assumed office on June 30, 2016.

The erstwhile DOJ Secretary is the third Cabinet member sacked from office after former Department of Interior and Local Government Secretary Ishmael Sueño and Department of Information and Communications (DICT) Secretary Rodolfo Salalima.

In March last year, he fired National Irrigation Administration (NIA) administrator Peter Tiu Laviña. The next month in the same year, the President dismissed undersecretary Maia Chiara Valdez of the Office of the Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization over rice importation issues.

In May, the President publicly fired Benjamin Reyes of the Dangerous Drugs Board after the latter claimed a lower number of drug users as compared to government figures. He then appointed Dionisio Santiago as new DDB chairman but, after a few months, also fired him for contradicting his statements and due to complaints of alleged junkets abroad.

In October, President Duterte fired Department of Budget and Management undersecretary Gertrudo de Leon. Although no name was mentioned, the President did not hide his utter contempt on the erring official: “He was lucky because there were so many people. I wanted to slap him. I wanted to kick him on the face. I fired him for corruption.”

Later in October, he dismissed Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) chairman Jose Vicente Salazar following charges of misconduct, neglect of duty, and other anomalies.

Early this year, the President fired one after the other Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) Administrator Marcial Quirico Amaro III and Presidential Commission on Urban Poor chairman Terry Ridon due to “excessive” foreign trips. 

This is just a short list of presidential appointees so far fired from their offices. Some of them had even campaigned for him in the 2016 elections.

But it’s been very clear. It’s no guarantee for job security.

However, some of President Duterte’s appointees are still oblivious of what awaits them if they foul up, not perform well, or still commit corruption.

Worse, certain Duterte administration appointees squabble in public, even scandalously as in the case of feuding members of the Movie, Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB). There was also this case of the Metro Rail Transit executive who assaulted in public a subordinate last week.

How about this wrangling among the officials of National Food Authority (NFA) Council over rice importation issue while there is now a looming shortage in public markets of cheaper priced NFA rice? Specifically, NFA Council chairman Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco, Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, and NFA administrator Jason Aquino could not get their acts together while they argue whether or not to import rice is already creating artificial rice shortage in the public markets.

At least at the MTRCB scandalous shouting match last Thursday between Board members Kate Brios and NJel de Mesa had no food security implication.

Also on the same day, though a separate incident, MRT Line 3 general manager Rudy Garcia allegedly physically assaulted Michael Capati, director for operations of the MRT-3, in front of executives of the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and Asian Development Bank (ADB).

These squabbling Duterte appointees making such public spectacles should better watch out.