Duterte practicing cronyism — lawmaker

MANILA, Philippines — President Duterte was accused yesterday of practicing cronyism by recycling officials he has removed for alleged acts of wrongdoing.

“It is becoming a policy of the Duterte government to remove officials who were involved in anomalies, so as to contain public outcry, and reappoint them to other posts when the issue cools off. This is a clear case of cronyism. It’s like these officials are indispensable,” said Rep. Ariel Casilao of Anakpawis.

He said the latest to be recycled is former justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre ll, whose resignation the President accepted after a string of controversies.

Duterte has appointed Aguirre as a member of the board of trustees of the Social Security System (SSS).

Casilao said another recycled official is Jose Gabriel La Viña, who was dismissed from the SSS board for allegedly proposing an expensive media campaign.

He said La Viña, who was the President’s social media manager during the election campaign, was appointed tourism undersecretary before being moved to the Department of Agriculture.

He said Celestina dela Serna was removed as head of PhilHealth for frequent travels but retained in the agency’s board of directors. 

Several other dismissed officials have been recycled, including a relative of the President’s live-in partner, Honeylet Avanceña, he added.

Casilao pointed out that Avanceña’s cousin Melissa Avanceña Aradanas, whom the President fired as commissioner of the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor in December last year, has been reappointed as deputy secretary-general of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council.  – With Ding Cervantes