Malacañang scouting for Nani’s successor?

Malacañang said yesterday beleaguered Justice Secretary Hernando Perez will still have a job waiting for him when he comes back this week from a month-long medical leave.

But highly reliable sources told The STAR that Palace officials are already looking for a replacement for Perez and have offered his job to at least two people.

The post was reportedly offered to House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales (Lakas, Mandaluyong City) last Saturday during his wedding to ABC-5 television reporter Queenie Pajati, where President Arroyo stood as one of the sponsors. Gonzales declined the offer, the sources said.

Yesterday morning the post was reportedly offered to Vice President Teofisto Guingona Jr., who served as justice secretary during the Ramos administration.

Guingona was reportedly reluctant to accept the post, but he is expected to discuss the matter further over dinner with Mrs. Arroyo.

Palace officials were aware of the offer to Guingona but not to Gonzales.

Mrs. Arroyo has been reaching out to Guingona, who resigned in July after disagreeing with her over the presence of US troops in the country.

Guingona, whose bailiwick is Mindanao, could help Mrs. Arroyo shore up her sagging popularity ratings.

Another possible contender for Perez’s post is Supreme Court Justice Jose Melo, who recently retired.

Lawyer Raoul Angangco, who was also reportedly eyed for the justice portfolio, has made public his intention to reject the offer. Angangco is one of the partners of the Villaraza and Angangco law firm – formerly the Carpio, Villaraza law firm, which has ties with Mrs. Arroyo.

Earlier, it was also reported that chief presidential legal counsel Avelino Cruz might replace Perez but sources said he was not keen on the post.

Perez was unavailable for comment yesterday. He canceled a 2 p.m. press conference at the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) main Manila office at the last minute for a still unknown reason. Reporters’ text messages to his mobile phone went unanswered.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said plunder, extortion and other corruption charges filed by Manila Rep. Mark Jimenez against Perez will not prevent him from reporting for work when his leave ends on Friday.

"The leave of Secretary Perez is for 30 days and that expires on Dec. 27. As far as we know, there are no overriding considerations for him not to come back," he said.

"So far Mr. Jimenez has not successfully proven the charges against Secretary Perez. The filing of his case against Secretary Perez might be just a last-ditch attempt to delay the extradition proceedings and will not affect the return of Secretary Perez on Dec. 27."

"We welcome Secretary Perez in reporting back for work," said Justice Undersecretary Merceditas Gutierrez, who is temporarily in charge of the DOJ while her boss is away.

Late last month, Jimenez gave a privileged speech accusing Perez of extorting $2 million from him.

The money came from his Trade and Commerce Bank account in Uruguay and then routed to Trade and Commerce Bank in the Cayman Islands and Chase Manhattan Bank in New York City before it ended up in an account allegedly owned by Perez in Coutts Bank in Hong Kong, he said.

Perez denied the allegations, saying Jimenez was only trying to delay his impending extradition to the United States where he faces charges of making illegal campaign contributions to the Democratic Party, among other charges.

Perez shortly went on a month-long sick leave claiming he was suffering from bleeding ulcers and gallstones, and put Justice Undersecretary Gutierrez in charge of his department.

Aside from the extortion allegation, Perez is also under fire from the political opposition for allegedly approving a controversial government contract awarded to Argentine power firm Industrias Metalurgicas Pescarmona Sociedad Anonima (Impsa) for the rehabilitation of a hydroelectric plant in Laguna province.

The Arroyo administration countered the contract was approved during the previous administration of deposed President Joseph Estrada, currently detained in a Quezon City military hospital on plunder and other corruption charges.

Estrada was ousted in January 2001 in a military-backed popular protest and replaced by then Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Estrada alleged that he turned down a $14-million bribe offer from Jimenez, his former adviser on Latin American affairs, to have the Impsa deal signed.

His allies in the Senate said the Arroyo administration had taken a $14-million-dollar bribe to award the contract to Impsa.

Estrada was supposed to testify in a Senate inquiry on the contract Tuesday last week but the police failed to bring him to the hearing, forcing the Senate to reschedule his appearance for Jan. 14.

The police said there was no formal Senate notice ordering them to bring Estrada to the inquiry.

Opposition lawmakers lambasted the delay saying no such notice was necessary and accused Malacañang of working behind the scenes to derail Estrada’s testimony.

The Palace denied the accusation. — With Marichu Villanueva