A Cabinet post to oversee CDF

MANILA, Philippines - Why not create a new Cabinet position called Secretary of Countryside Development and appoint Vice President-Elect Jejomar Binay to the position? He will be in charge of making sure that the expenditures of congressional pork barrels are free of graft and directed towards genuine economic development and job generation in the countryside.

VP-Elect Binay seems perfect for this position and can be most helpful in fulfilling the promises of the Aquino campaign to eradicate corruption and poverty. Corruption exists everywhere but nowhere is it more homogenous, substantial and nationwide in scope as in the disbursements of the congressional pork barrels that result in scandalous wastage rather than real economic progress.

The VP-Elect is a very mature and experienced politician who can ably cross swords with Senators and Congressmen and women, go after both corruptors and corruptees in government projects, work with local officials to replicate his Makati achievements in major provincial cities and towns and perhaps, in the process, even help the President-Elect achieve political control of both houses of Congress.

In this position, the VP-Elect can prove that he is not corrupt as his critics claim. He will be in the vortex of such usually graft-ridden transactions that he will have to operate in a very transparent and squeaky-clean fashion. His other critics will harp on his potential use of the position to campaign for the presidency in 2016.

Let’s face it. Whether or not he is in the cabinet, he will campaign for the presidency. The country and the administration might as well benefit from his strengths as an experienced government official and politician with a national mandate.