Cabinet 'lightweights' face tough CA grilling

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago threatened yesterday to “massacre” at least six Cabinet officials once they appear before the Commission on Appointments (CA).

“I am going to massacre these people. I have the law on my side. I have the power,” Santiago said.

She called the unnamed officials “smug, self-satisfied, non-elected appointees.”

“This is a very lightweight Cabinet. Boy, they are so lightweight they are liable to float on their own delusions of grandeur,” Santiago said.

“Akala nila kung sino sila. Dumaan muna sila sa halalan (They think they are such hotshots. They should get themselves elected first) because the power of government is exercised by the people, by the electorate in an election. They cannot just serve as arbiters of moral values in society or even of political values in our society,” Santiago added.

“They try and destroy our personal reputation and after year after year of working ourselves blind at night. I’m going to teach them a lesson in humility. God reform the world and begin with me,” Santiago said.

Santiago said Cabinet officials’ resumés should reflect academic and professional excellence. She said an official with low intelligence quotient “is committing a crime against the Philippine government and society.”

“Mga low IQ sila tapos ang tatapang nila (They have low IQ and yet they’re so mean),” she said. “Merit should also include not only academic excellence but also professional excellence.”

Santiago said she had resisted invoking Section 20 of the CA rules for a Cabinet official during the previous administration only to end up being continuously tormented by the same official.

President Aquino dismissed Santiago’s threat, saying “she’s entitled to her own opinion.”

“She will have to carry out what she believes are her functions,” Aquino said. “At the end of the day, does she convince the rest of the committee members or not?”

• A chance for Luistro

After lambasting Education Secretary Armin Luistro earlier, Santiago said she was willing to give the official a chance to prove himself deserving of his position.

“I will give him a sporting chance. I want him to answer this complaint because I’m a lawyer and a former trial judge. I will still hear from him first before I make a final decision on whether I shall invoke Section 20 or not,” Santiago said.

“I could change my mind. I’m not going to be intransigent. I’m not going to be blindly vindictive, I would like to know,” Santiago added.

In CA hearings last week, Santiago opposed the appointment of Luistro, citing his bias against the Reproductive Health bill, being a member of a Roman Catholic congregation. Luistro was president of the De La Salle University before his appointment as Education chief.

• Bad example

Meanwhile, CA members lectured Department of Foreign Affairs officials on CA rules after they submitted the names of two retired ambassadors for confirmation of their promotion.

The DFA submitted the names of Ambassador to Romania Isaias Begonia and Ambassador to Cuba Macarthur Corsino for confirmation despite their having already retired a few months ago. The two had been promoted from the rank of Class 2 to Class 1 or the highest rank for an ambassador just before their retirement.

It was believed that the promotion of the two ambassadors was done to enable them to enjoy bigger retirement benefits.

Santiago, chair of the CA committee on foreign affairs, said the CA did not have to act of the promotion of Begonia and Corsino.

Sen. Joker Arroyo, for his part, admonished the DFA, represented by Undersecretary Rafael Seguis, for bringing up an internal matter to the CA.

Santiago stressed that the promotion issue was merely an administrative matter, which should have been resolved within the DFA.

But Seguis explained that the DFA was merely following the requirements of law when it submitted the names of Corsino and Begonia for confirmation by the CA.

He also noted that the Commission on Audit might raise concerns regarding the granting of benefits to the two ambassadors if the two retired officials don’t get CA nod.

Begonia and Corsino were promoted while Congress was not in session and by the time the CA was convened under the current administration, they had already retired.

During yesterday’s hearing, the CA confirmed the appointments of six ambassadors, namely Ma. Consuelo Puyat-Reyes (Chile), Mercedes Tuason (Holy See), Noe Wong (Cambodia), Manuel Lopez (Japan), Carlos Salinas (Spain) and Wilfrido Villacorta (Permanent Representative to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations).

A seventh ambassador was presented before the CA, Francisco Benedicto (China) but his confirmation was deferred following manifestations from Sen. Franklin Drilon that he wanted to raise some more questions with the nominee. With Marvin Sy, Delon Porcalla