‘The best and the brightest?’

More than two months after the 19th Congress formally opened its first regular sessions, not one of the Cabinet nominees of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. (PBBM) has hurdled confirmation. As of last count, there are 24 Cabinet Secretaries who have line Departments subject to confirmation process by a bicameral body of Congress. The 24 Cabinet Secretaries now include the newly created Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).

The DMW is one of the two new Cabinet positions created by law passed and approved by the previous Congress in December last year during the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte. The other is the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) signed into law in February, 2019.

By practice and tradition, the Executive Secretary also goes through the confirmation wringer of the 25-man Commission on Appointments (CA). Being regarded as the primus inter pares, or first among equals, the CA gives due course to the President’s prerogative of choosing his own “alter egos,” especially the Executive Secretary. Thus, the nomination of the so-called “little president” breezes through the CA and becomes the first Cabinet official to be confirmed without much ado.

For now, PBBM is still the concurrent Agriculture Secretary. Aside from the Agriculture portfolio, the still unfilled posts are the Departments of Health, and a National Defense currently headed by officers-in-charge.

Under our country’s 1987 Constitution, the CA has the power to approve or disapprove the appointments made by the President of the Philippines from Department Secretaries; heads and members of constitutional bodies; ambassadors and career foreign service officers; and, promotion of military officers from the rank of Colonels up to five-star Generals.

The CA is chaired by the incumbent Senate president and is composed of equal number of 12 from the Senate and 12 from the House of Representatives as members. The CA is currently headed by Senate president Juan Miguel Zubiri. The House contingent is headed by Pangasinan Rep. Ramon Guico.

In the past, the membership to the CA is apportioned proportionately to the political parties. However, this rule obviously has been glossed over through the years. In fact, this time-honored rule was raised when Zubiri gave to Sen.Alan Peter Cayetano, a member of the majority bloc, the last slot at the CA.

Identifying with the opposition bloc, Sen. Risa Hontiveros questioned Cayetano’s inclusion at the CA. She bewailed such gives the pro-administration majority bloc unjust numerical control of the body. There are 24 Senators while the Lower House has 311 members as of last count.

Such jockeying to become a CA member gives this body the aura of power.

But since it started confirmation hearings, the CA has not tabled for approval any of the Cabinet nominees of PBBM. So far, the presidential appointees they have passed upon included two ambassadors and the respective heads of two constitutional bodies. The CA convenes its full session every Wednesday at the Senate plenary hall.

Confirmed on Aug.31 were the appointments of Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez and Permanent Representative of the Philippines to the United Nations (UN) Antonio Manuel Lagdameo. Then on Sept.7, the CA approved the appointments of George Erwin M. Garcia as chairman of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and Karlo Alexei Bendigo Nograles as chairman of the Civil Service Commission (CSC).

Purportedly due to time constraints the CA deferred the deliberations on the appointment of Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo. Apparently, Manalo was the first to submit all documentary requirements, including his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) ahead of his fellow Cabinet nominees.

Incidentally, PBBM appointed last Sept. 4 Manalo’s immediate predecessor, former Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. as the Philippine ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the United Kingdom (UK) and the Northern Ireland. Unfortunately, Locsin missed the opportunity of presenting his credentials to England’s Queen Elizabeth II. The longest-reigning Queen passed away on Sept.8.

Active in his social media engagements, Locsin expressed his condolences to the British people for “the world’s immeasurable loss” on the Queen’s death. “Filipinos never faltered in their love of the English Queen. From Paris where I was visiting, my wife and I rushed to London at the Queen Mother’s passing,” Locsin posted in his Twitter account.

The Royal funeral is set on Sept.19 yet. Thus, Locsin will have to wait for a while before he can present his credentials to the new Ruler of the Realms, King Charles III at the Buckingham Palace. Moreover, Locsin must first hurdle the CA wringer before he could present in London his credentials.

In the meantime, the nominations of three Cabinet Secretaries of PBBM are tabled for deliberations in today’s CA session. They are, namely, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benhur Abalos, Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Bienvenido Laguesma.

The first regular sessions of the 19th Congress will have its first scheduled recess by the end of this month. The CA also goes on recess during this period. So this means all presidential appointees whose nominations have already been transmitted to the CA will be considered “technically” by-passed. Then, PBBM will need to issue new ad interim appointments to all the by-passed presidential nominees during this month-long recess of the CA.

When PBBM first announced his Cabinet economic team last June, Albay Rep. Joey Salceda issued a press statement to laud the selected appointees led by Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno. Although he is not a member of the CA, Salceda is considered the resident economist in Congress. According to Salceda, PBBM has selected “the best and the brightest” members of the Cabinet. Surely, they won‘t get the CA nod if they are not the “best and the brightest.”