Comelec grants Palace request on appointments

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino is still allowed to appoint and reshuffle officials even with the existing appointment ban during the campaign period leading to the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) elections on Oct. 25, Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Jose Melo said yesterday.

Melo said Comelec has granted Malacañang the necessary exemption to allow Mr. Aquino to appointment and reshuffle officials during the election period.

Comelec Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer said five of the seven commissioners approved last Monday the request of Malacañang for an exemption from the appointment ban.

Ferrer said the exemption covers only new appointment and transfer of officials to other departments.

Ferrer said Malacañang submitted a long list of officials for new appointment and transfer.

“Names beyond the list submitted to the Comelec are no longer covered by the exemption,” Ferrer pointed out, adding the list did not include new appointments for the Cabinet posts.

Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. earlier said Malacañang sent to Comelec a one-page letter requesting for exemption from the ban that took effect last Saturday.

Ochoa said Malacañang still needs to fill as many as 1,000 more positions.

Comelec said any request for exemption from the ban to appoint new officials should be submitted to the Comelec’s legal department that would make the necessary recommendation before a full session.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said the exemption from the ban is not unusual since the poll body also granted similar exclusion in the past elections to Malacañang and other government offices.

Jimenez said the exemption is granted so as not to paralyze government operations and public service. 

In the eight-page resolution, the Comelec approved the new appointments on the following agencies that included one position in the Social Security Commission, four in the Department of Trade and Industry, two in the Intellectual Property Office and one in the Philippine Trade Training Center.

The Comelec also approved the appointment of a position in the Philippine National Red Cross, one position in the Department of the Interior and Local Government, one in the National Defense College of the Philippines, Land Bank of the Philippines (1); Philippine Reclamation Authority (1); National Home Mortgage Finance Corp. (1); Film Academy of the Philippines; National Agriculture and Fishery Council (1); Philippine Mining Development Council (1) and Bureau of Internal Revenue (1);

Two positions in the Bureau of Customs, three positions in the Department of Finance and the APEC Business Advisory Council;

Four positions in the Bureau of Immigration; Philippine National Construction Corp. (4); Clark International Airport Corp. (1); and the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (4).

Also in the exemption list are the Peace Talk Panel with two positions, the Cagayan Special Economic Zone Authority (1); Manila Economic and Cultural Office (2), National Printing Office (1); Philippine International Trading Corp. (1); Presidential Adviser on the Filipino Workers’ Concern (1); Presidential Legislative Liaison (1); Home Development Mutual Fund (5); Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (1); National Bureau of Investigation (1); Sugar Regulatory Commission (2); Road Board (1); Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (10); Cebu Port Authority (6); Bases Conversion and Development Authority (2); Presidential Council for Value Formation (1), National Broadcasting (2); Asian Productivity Organization (1); Manila Waterworks Sewerage System (1); National Commission for Culture and the Arts (1); Department of Education (14).

Also exempted from the ban are the appointments of 23 non-career ambassadors and another 23 regional trial court judges.