CA should confirm De Lima even without approaching its members

I am so delighted to hear in today’s confirmation hearing that DOJ Secretary Leila De Lima did not approach the members of the Commission on Appointments for her confirmation.  I would do the same if I were in her place.  Thus,  I find it so uncalled for for Senator Jinggoy Estrada to even suggest to De Lima that she should have approached the CA members for her early confirmation because “it is a tradition” for nominees subject to CA confirmation to “approach” its members.

De Lima clearly showed her deep sense of delicadeza by answering Estrada that she did not find it proper to approach the CA members. This alone should move the CA members to immediately confirm her nomination as Secretary of the DOJ.  This is also an occasion where the Senate and the House of Representatives should immediately stop this “tradition” of allowing nominees to “approach” any CA member for purposes of confirmation in order to preserve the commission’s independence and to prevent any compromise that would affect the performance of any nominee once confirmed into office.

These confirmed nominees should always bear in mind that they do not owe anything to these CA members once they are confirmed. They should always have that feeling and belief that they were confirmed on the basis of the their own qualifications and not because they are indebted to any of these CA members.  If a cabinet member really wants to be a public servant, then he or she does not have to approach these CA members so as not to compromise his or her position or, as stated, for reason of delicadeza.

 I congratulate Secretary Leila De Lima for demonstrating a true example of a public servant with deep sense of delicadeza worthy of being emulated by the others.  For this alone, all those personal and baseless oppositions against her should not in anyway be used to block or reject her appointment. — Atty. ROMULO B. MACALINTAL, Election Lawyer, Philamlife Village, Las Pinas City