Noy to announce Cabinet revamp

MANILA, Philippines –  President Aquino said yesterday he will make an announcement on the Cabinet revamp in the next few days.

He said there would be a minor revamp in his Cabinet but refused to name the affected officials. There have been speculations about who would be replaced, but the President declined to give any confirmation.

Former ambassador to Washington Albert del Rosario has widely been reported to replace Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo, but the Palace said it would be best to wait for Aquino’s announcement.

Meanwhile, deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the Palace is looking into the problem involving newly appointed Customs deputy commissioner for intelligence Prudencio Reyes Jr., whose oath-taking has been put on hold because of a case against him.

“We need to do something about it because there are already recommendations. We will reveal those (details) at the proper time. At this point, I can say that steps are already being taken,” she said.

Valte said the Palace was verifying reports about Reyes and that these concerns have reached the President.

Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez has initiated a reshuffle in the bureau to improve collections and curb smuggling. Reyes was the chief for port operations before his assignment as intelligence chief.

Reyes, who was chief of the Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA) in 2000 following his appointment by former President Joseph Estrada, was ordered suspended for one year by the Supreme Court (SC) in 2009 for abuse of authority and acting in bad faith by transferring his men after they filed a graft case against him.

Reyes’ subordinates at the LWUA charged him with graft before the Ombudsman over alleged anomalies in a P600-million water supply system project for Baguio City.

A few days after the case was filed, Reyes reassigned his deputies and barred them from using the facilities of their offices, practically putting them on a floating status. The deputies questioned Reyes’ move before the Ombudsman until the case reached the Court of Appeals and the SC.

The SC said Reyes’ action was tantamount to “oppression” and it sought to impose a one-year suspension on him or have him pay a fine equivalent to one-year salary.