Nikki's mom named envoy to Mexico; Puno to UN

Alice Lim-Coseteng, 67-year-old mother of Sen. Anna Dominique "Nikki" Coseteng, as been appointed ambassador to Mexico.

President Estrada signed her appointment papers, last Jan. 12, along with that of Ronaldo Puno, who was named permanent representative to the United Nations.

The President justified his choice of Coseteng as replacement for Delia Meñez Rosal who is winding up her tour of duty in Mexico, by saying she is gracious and intelligent. "You will be impressed with her. She is not only gracious, but also a very intelligent woman," Mr. Estrada said.

Former Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim has been designated as successor of Puno, whose short stint at the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) was riddled with controversies.

Brushing aside possible criticisms on Puno's new appointment considering that a Malacañang-created fact-finding panel has recommended the filing of graft cases against him, the President said he leaves it up to the bicameral Commission on Appointments (CA) to determine Puno's fate.

"I think he (Puno) can do a good job as permanent Philippine representative to the UN. Besides, he has lived in Washington and his family lives in New York," Mr. Estrada said.

Meanwhile, the Chief Executive said he was compelled to put off the second wave of his Cabinet revamp as he admitted he was encountering difficulties looking for replacements.

"It is really hard to find good replacements. Good and known figures, especially in the business community, are highly paid. But how much does a Cabinet member receive? They (Cabinet secretaries) get a net monthly take home pay of just P24,000," the President said.

He added that low pay and vulnerability to public criticisms have discouraged people from accepting Cabinet posts he has offered to them.

Mr. Estrada also denied that he has accepted the courtesy resignation of Justice Secretary Serafin Cuevas, saying the reports were part of a disinformation against his administration.

He admitted that there would be more changes in his official family, but did not elaborate.

On the refusal of House Majority Leader Mar Roxas III who was appointed last week as trade and industry secretary, to give up his seat at the House of Representatives pending his confirmation by the CA, Mr. Estrada said he could not blame Roxas since there was already a precedent.

It may be recalled that Batanes Rep. Florencio Abad, who immediately yielded his seat in Congress after then President Corazon Aquino named him her secretary for agrarian reform, was left with the proverbial empty bag when the CA rejected his appointment for being "pro-peasant."