Cabinet revamp in the works, Valte confirms

Press Undersecretary Abigail Valte INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

A palace official on Monday hinted at possible changes in government assignments as part of continuous efforts to improve bureaucratic efficiency.

Press Undersecretary Abigail Valte answered “yes” when asked in a news conference to confirm President Benigno Aquino III’s earlier pronouncement that there would be movements in the Cabinet.

But when asked to elaborate, Valte backtracked and told reporters to wait for the President to make the announcement.

“President Aquino mentioned that there would be movements,” she said in Filipino, adding that he “gave specific names” but that these persons may not necessarily be Cabinet officials.

Valte said that the President had discussed plans to improve his work force “two months back.”

“The reason for this is that the President is continually assessing how we can improve efficiency and systems in government,” she explained.

In Lucena City, the Save Sierra Madre Network Alliance (SSMNA), in a Christmas letter to the President Aquino renewed its call to replace  Environment Secretary Ramon Paje for his alleged failure to stop corruption in his department.

“Secretary Paje has been weighed but found wanting by environmentalist groups. He was also weighed by the Commission on Appointment and he also failed but you reappointed him. How many more tragedies will come before we accept the truth that the DENR secretary is inept in his post?” Fr. Pete Montallana, SSMNA chairperson, said in the December 24 letter released to the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

SSMNA is composed of representatives from indigenous peoples, local communities surrounding Sierra Madre, environmentalists, religious groups and other forest protection advocates.

Montallana noted that Cagayan de Oro Archbishop Antonio Ledesma’s recent pastoral letter had blamed illegal logging and irresponsible mining as the culprits behind the flash floods that killed more than a thousand people in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan cities.

The Franciscan priest said the historical ineptitude of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to protect the environment was the reason behind the tragedy.

“Those logging moratoriums, national greening program and social fencing strategy were all press releases,” Montallana said.

He said many nongovernment organizations would like to help in the protection of the environment but were helpless, adding that in spite of the President’s ban, illegal logging was continuing. With a report from Delfin Mallari Jr., Inquirer Southern Luzon