Inventory eyed on appointees

MANILA, Philippines – Presidential race frontrunner Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III said he would nullify all the unlawful appointments made by President Arroyo, particularly those in the executive department, once he assumes office.

Aquino said he will use the privilege provided to an incoming president by Article 7 Section 14 of the 1987 Constitution to review the appointments of his predecessor for 90 days upon assumption of office.

He wants to have an inventory of the appointments made by President Arroyo and would invalidate those made from March 10, the start of the appointment ban prior to the May 10 elections.  

“We intend to govern in the opposite manner of President Arroyo’s governance. People who will serve with us should have that philosophy of good governance. They (President Arroyo’s) appointees) have to subscribe to our good governance policy,” he said.

Aquino also earlier said he would form an independent commission that will investigate the alleged irregularities in the Arroyo administration. It will be headed, he said, by someone like the late Haydee Yorac, former chair of the Presidential Commission on Good Government.

“Of course Haydee Yorac is no longer here. It has to be someone not associated with the last government, somebody who will be impartial, someone who has credibility but at the end of the whole process there has to be closure on all these issues,” Aquino said.

He said he will give priority to deserving and hardworking career officials in appointing members of his Cabinet because they have traditionally been overlooked for lack of political connections.

He also wants to appoint more technocrats to the bureaucracy.