Rep. Almario defends Taguiwalo, says he voted for her confirmation
Judy Taguiwalo. PHOTO BY LYN RILLON
Another member of the House of Representatives contingent in the Commission on Appointments (CA) came out and said he voted for the confirmation of Judy Taguiwalo as Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) secretary.
In a statement on Thursday, Davao Oriental Rep. Joel Mayo Almario said it is his opinion that Taguiwalo “has proven herself to be qualified for the position.”
READ: CA rejects Taguiwalo’s appointment
Taguiwalo failed to get the 13 votes in the 24-member commission to have her appointment approved. The CA rejected her appointment in secret balloting.
Almario said while he voted for Taguiwalo, he respected the CA’s majority decision rejecting Taguiwalo’s ad interim appointment.
“As a CA member, I find Taguiwalo qualified as Secretary of DSWD and should be confirmed. But as the committee chairman, even if my yes vote is different from the majority vote, I have to adhere, abide and announce the collective decision of the majority,” Almario said.
Almario said Taguiwalo’s stance against the pork barrel system in the DSWD was not discussed in the CA, disputing Taguiwalo’s belief that her position against lawmakers getting favored DSWD projects prompted her rejection as secretary.
READ: Taguiwalo says antipork, tax stand behind rejection
“The pork barrel was never discussed in the CA deliberations for Secretary Taguiwalo, simply because there is no pork or PDAF in the DSWD or any other agency after the Supreme Court declared it illegal,” Almario said.
The Supreme Court in 2013 scrapped the congressional pork barrel Priority Development Assistance Fund or PDAF as unconstitutional following public outcry over a pork barrel scam.
Almario said he found Taguiwalo “not only a person of high integrity and competence, but also passionate in her desire to help the poor.” He said Taguiwalo’s stance against the National ID system and the comprehensive tax reform may have been the reasons behind her rejection.
READ: Taguiwalo: Some lawmakers ‘feel entitled’ to ‘hidden pork’
The House and Senate each have 12 members in the appointments body. Another House member, Manila Rep. Rosenda Ann Ocampo, also sided with Taguiwalo.
The House contingent was said to have voted to reject Taguiwalo’s appointment, according to an Inquirer report.
During the DSWD budget hearing in 2016, Taguiwalo confronted House members who are angry at the DSWD’s policy against lawmakers’ practice of getting favored projects in the department, which Taguiwalo slammed as a pork barrel system.
READ: Taguiwalo draws solons’ ire in House debate on budget
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