Party-list congressmen slam Lapeña transfer to Tesda

Isidro Lapeña —JAMSTA. ROSA

President Rodrigo Duterte’s move to transfer Isidro Lapeña from the Bureau of Customs (BOC) to the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) did not sit well with some lawmakers, with one slamming it as a scheme to “fool people” that the Chief Executive is doing something.

“It’s Duterte’s musical chairs policy to address the big-time billion pesos shabu scandal under his watch. This policy lets off steam to prevent public backlash but it only fools the people that he is doing something about it but ultimately, nothing comes out of it,” Akbayan Rep. Tom Villarin said in a statement on Friday.

The opposition lawmaker also pointed out that this already happened before with former BOC Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon, who was transferred to the Office of Civil Defense following the P6.4 billion shabu shipment from China that slipped past the bureau during his term.

Faeldon is now the Bureau of Corrections head, replacing former police chief Ronald Dela Rosa, who will compete in next year’s senatorial race.

“Kung sa ordinaryong user patay kaagad ang utos pero sa kanyang mga alipores at kaibigan lahat may second at third chance pa and they even are promoted,” Villarin lamented.

Duterte, on Thursday, announced that Lapeña will now be Director General of Tesda while Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) administrator Rey Leonardo Guerrero will lead the embattled BOC.

READ: Lapeña out of Customs but named Tesda chief with Cabinet rank

This came after the Customs faced another massive entry of shabu, which Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Chief Aaron Aquino now estimated at P11 billion from its initial assessment of P6.8 billion.

READ: PDEA chief now says magnetic lifters contained P11B ‘shabu’ |
Lapeña not convinced smuggled ‘shabu’ costs P11B

‘Militarization of bureaucracy’

Aside from demanding for accountability, ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro and Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate also expressed concerns against the seeming militarization of the Duterte Cabinet.

“Una dapat kasuhan si Lapeña sa pagiging incompetent at seemingly pagpapabaya sa tungkulin. Pangalawa mukhang binigyan pa ng reward si Lapeña sa ‘job well done’ nakapagpalusot ng 11B worth of shabu,” Castro said.

The progressive lawmaker also asked: “Ano naman ang gagawin ng isang ex-military sa isang education- related agency? ‘Yan ang mukha ng Cabinet ni Duterte… militarized at mga incompetent at corrupt.”

Zarate, for his part, warned against the “militarization of the bureaucracy,” saying it would “foster incompetence.”

“Guerrero would be the 61st military appointee to the civil government and strengthens the de facto military junta now in placed in the country,” Zarate pointed out.

“This style of pampering the military is also prone to incompetence and waste of the people’s money because they are not suited for the jobs they are rewarded with,” he added. /kga