Nene backs 2-strike policy on Cabinet appointees bypassed by CA

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. has backed a proposal that Cabinet members repeatedly bypassed by the Commission on Appointments must no longer be reappointed by the President.

Davao Rep. Prospero Nograles, CA vice-chairman, suggested the so-called two-strike policy in which the appointment of Cabinet members bypassed by the CA twice are deemed rejected after they undergo the confirmation hearings.

“The proposal of Congressman Nograles for the President to scuttle the appointments of Cabinet members who do not get confirmed by the Commission on Appointments is a good move, ” Pimentel said.

“However, it would even be better if being repeatedly bypassed by the CA should cause the President to reconsider the appointments concerned.

“Like what they do in the United States, being bypassed by the US Senate body, which is equivalent of our CA, almost automatically causes the US president to consider the appointment withdrawn.”

This kind of arrangement strengthens the rule of law and the system of checks and balances, Pimentel said.

Cabinet members and other presidential appointees are bypassed because the CA is not convinced of their qualifications and fitness for the job, or they have failed to submit documentary requirements on time.

Senate President Manuel Villar, CA ex-officio chairman, has warned that failure of Cabinet members to submit documentary requirements within the prescribed period without sufficient justification is a ground for rejection. – Christina Mendez