Appointment at National Printing Office on hold

Malacañang held yesterday the appointment of retired Navy Vice Admiral Tirso Danga as head of the National Printing Office (NPO) amid strong protests and a looming Senate probe into his controversial selection.

Press Secretary Jesus Dureza, whose office has supervision over the NPO, said all he knows is that the agency remains headed by officer-in-charge Dionisia Valbuena, whom he had designated to temporarily replace Enrique Agana.

Agana was removed from his post after he was charged with raping a 13-year-old girl.

“I have not seen any appointment paper,” Dureza told reporters.

The Palace announced Danga’s appointment to the NPO last Saturday, but the move was met by criticism that he was not fit for the post and suspicions that he was placed there to allow the administration to manipulate the 2010 elections.

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel said he would push for a probe of the appointment, which he likened to placing a forger as head of the central bank.

Pimentel also noted that Danga was head of the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (ISAFP) during the 2004 elections. Agents of the ISAFP were believed to have conducted eavesdropping operations during the election period that produced the so-called “Hello, Garci” tapes on conversations between President Arroyo and former poll commissioner Virgilio Garcillano.

The senator said Danga was also implicated in the cover-up of the murder of Navy Ensign Philip Pestaño in 1995.

Dureza said he had nothing to do with the moves to appoint Danga and had not recommended him to the post.

“It did not come from me. There were talks. There was mention (of that), but until and unless we get the appointment paper signed by the President, we can’t say yet,” he said.

He said the Palace search committee was in charge of selecting potential appointees.

“I have no information as to who pushed for him,” he said.

Namfrel, PPCRV oppose Danga

The National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) and the Parish Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) also expressed strong opposition to the appointment of Danga because of his involvement in the “Hello, Garci” scandal.

Ambassador Henrietta de Villa, chair of both Namfrel and PPCRV, said the appointment of Danga does not go well with efforts to cleanse the 2010 local and national elections.

“We are very concerned that the new appointment for the chief of NPO was involved in some questionable issues in the 2004 elections ... If we are for transparency, we would like to believe that the President would like to leave a legacy, especially with the coming 2010 elections.”

“But this appointment does not augur well for that transparency,” she noted at the launching of Namfrel’s website www.namfrel.com.ph.

De Villa claimed that she spoke to Msgr. Gerry Santos, president of the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines, and the latter shared the same opinion.

The Commission on Elections will use optical mark reader (OMR) machines in the 2010 polls wherein the names of candidates will be printed on paper ballots but will be counted and canvassed automatically by machines.

Under the law, the ballots will have to be printed by the government-run NPO.

“I do not like to pre-judge Gen. Danga. I do not know him. But the very fact that his involvement has not yet been resolved up to now, I don’t think it would be good,” De Villa added.

She maintained that the Comelec is “doing everything” to regain trust in the electoral process and having Danga at the NPO would derail these efforts.

Namfrel’s website will contain the results of the quick counts conducted by the group in the 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2007 election.

The website will also allow the public to upload comments, video and photographs related to elections. – With Sheila Crisostomo