De Lima faces CA grilling

MANILA, Philippines - Justice Secretary Leila de Lima faces rough sailing before the Commission on Appointments (CA) regarding her Cabinet appointment following her apparent defiance of the Supreme Court (SC) order allowing former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to leave for medical treatment abroad.

The CA secretariat under Arturo Tiu revealed yesterday that they have received the reappointment papers of De Lima, along with those of Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, Environment Secretary Ramon Paje and Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman from Malacañang dated Oct. 13.

De Lima is among the members of the Aquino Cabinet whose appointments have yet to be confirmed by the CA.

Lawmakers led by Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III, Senators Panfilo Lacson, Francis Escudero and Antonio Trillanes IV have all agreed that De Lima would have a difficult time at the CA subcommittee on justice.

Sen. Joker Arroyo, chairman of the CA subcommittee of justice, said he is ready to start the confirmatory hearings for De Lima.

De Lima, for her part, said she is ready to face the CA anytime and defend her actions, including her move perceived as a defiance of the SC order.

“I’m always prepared to face the CA hearing... I’m prepared to answer questions... I’m prepared to confront issues that they want to be clarified during my CA (hearing),” De Lima said.

“Of course it will depend (on the questions and) that they will treat me fairly during the proceedings. Everything (should be) done with utmost professionalism,” De Lima told reporters at the Senate yesterday.

De Lima is facing controversy over her apparent defiance of the SC order allowing Arroyo to leave abroad for medical treatment.

The SC issued a temporary restraining order on the implementation of memorandum circular 41 issued by the Department of Justice (DOJ) imposing a travel ban on Arroyo.

The memo allows the Justice secretary to place a person in a watchlist.

De Lima appeared at the Senate a day after the DOJ submitted its budget for 2012 during plenary session.

De Lima chanced upon her nemesis, Senator Lacson, while they were waiting for a ride at the elevator at the fifth floor of the Senate.

De Lima was walking towards the elevator with Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Sixto Brillantes when Lacson emerged from his office to attend the Senate budget hearings at the plenary hall on the second floor.

Lacson exchanged pleasantries with Brillantes, apparently ignoring De Lima. Lacson, Brillantes and their entourage boarded the elevator used exclusively by senators while De Lima and her aides used the next elevator, apparently to avoid any confrontation.

Lacson had made public his desire to grill De Lima during her CA hearing and question her apparent focus on the senator’s involvement in the Dacer-Corbito murders. This caused Lacson to go into hiding for more than a year in 2009. 

De Lima is among the controversial Cabinet members whose appointments have yet to be confirmed by the CA.

Robredo, on the other hand, was appointed by President Aquino as officer-in-charge of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) shortly after the President assumed office last year.  

Robredo figured in a controversy over the mishandling of the Manila bus hostage crisis that left dead several Hong Kong tourists and in the process affected the country’s relations with the former crown colony in 2010.

Soliman, meanwhile, is being grilled over the multi-billion conditional cash transfer (CCT) program.

Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez’s appointment papers dated Oct. 13 have been submitted to the CA. Jimenez was appointed early this year following the resignation of Alberto Lim.