SSS chief confirms resignation
INQUIRER.net
First Posted 09:51:00 07/09/2008
MANILA, Philippines -- Citing “problems,” the present head of the Social Security System has confirmed that she was resigning her post and that she would be going back to the private sector.
In an interview aired live on radio dzMM Wednesday, Corazon dela Paz said in Filipino that she filed her resignation in June and would have wanted to stay until July 31 for a “smoother transition” because there were still major projects that she wanted to finalize so that her successor would only have to implement them and not have to review them all over again.
But she added that of course, the decision would be up to higher authorities.
When asked why she was quitting her post, which she held for seven years, Dela Paz, who was in the US, said: “I am old. I have problems. I want to go back to the private sector. I have spent seven years [in SSS].”
She did not elaborate on what her problems were and refused to comment when asked whether Commission on Higher Education chairman Romulo Neri, who was reported to be Dela Paz’s replacement, was the right man for the job.
“I am not the one appointing my successor,” said Dela Paz.
But Dela Paz said that Finance Secretary Gary Teves, who acted as the liaison, had spoken to her.
Dela Paz said she was leaving the SSS in a “much stronger and stable institution compared to what we found when we came in.”
She said she made sure that the investments of the members were safe. “We owe that to our members. That’s why our people know what to do. That is why the SSS is stronger because we managed to restore the confidence of its members who expect good service for their contributions.”
She said she would be leaving people who would know the reforms that were needed in the institution but added that they would still “need someone who could guide them in implementing these programs.”
When pressed on the reason for her resignation, Dela Paz said, “Maybe there are a variety of reasons. But I would rather keep them to myself.”
At the same time, Dela Paz said that she harbored no ill feelings but that she was more used to the style of work in the private sector than in government.
She was vague when asked whether there was politics involved in the decision to replace her, saying, “Of course, there will always be politics in government. That will not go away.”
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