‘No changes’ in Cabinet’

MANILA, Philippines - There is no impending Cabinet revamp and Kim Henares will not be replaced as commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), according to Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr.

“There is no such thing. There are no discussions on Cabinet changes,” Ochoa told The STAR at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 Friday night as he, along with several Cabinet members, welcomed President Aquino upon his arrival from a two-day state visit in South Korea.

He said intrigues against the Cabinet are getting worse each day and they have learned to ignore them.

Text messages had been circulating claiming that a certain Imelda Fernandez had been “anointed” by Aquino to take the place of Henares.

Reports said some members of the Aquino family are backing Fernandez, and that her appointment would please the religious group Iglesia Ni Cristo that had supposedly been at odds with the President on various issues.

Henares told GMA News that she is ready to leave her post if asked, but added that there was no indication that she would be replaced.

Malacañang earlier denied reports that Henares was being eyed as replacement for Customs Commissioner Ruffy Biazon.

The President told reporters on the sidelines of the recently concluded Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit in Brunei that there would be no Cabinet revamp.

He also denied reports that Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon Paje was on the way out.

“I have no such idea and I have no such intention at this point,” he said.

Aquino said he could not just fire officials based on intrigues and mere accusations as no one would be left in his official family.

However, Aquino assured the public that he was not insensitive to issues involving Cabinet members.

“If there’s a specific issue, we are happy to investigate it. If he’s guilty of something, then we will remove him or file the necessary charges. But to date, I don’t have a specific charge that anybody has leveled against him – that we investigate it and said ‘yeah, there seems to be a basis,’” he said.