Turnover goes on at POEA

The axe finally fell on Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) chief Carlos Cao Jr. Monday. His replacement, former Labor Undersecretary Hans Cacdac, formally took over the agency in morning rites at the POEA building in Mandaluyong City.

Cao did not attend the ceremony, saying he had to tend to his wife, who was confined at the Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City.

Cao said that up to the end, he was not formally informed about his removal from office and the reasons behind it.

Labor Undersecretary Danilo Cruz, however, rebutted this, saying Cao was shown Cacdac’s appointment papers last week.

“(Cao) even asked that (the turnover be held) at the end of the year,” Cruz said in an interview.

“He’s waiting for a written explanation from Malacañang but there’s nothing like that. The appointing power of the President is absolute,” Cruz said.

Cruz said that besides his talking to Cao last week, a notice was also sent to Cao Monday morning to formally inform him that  Cacdac was taking over.

Cao said that he went “on leave” Monday because his wife was taken to the hospital. He protested the turnover rites, saying the POEA directorate could not represent him.

“What the husband goes through, the wife goes through with more intensity,” he said when asked about the condition of his wife.

“I’ll probably question that (turnover). How can the directorate represent me? It should have been me,” Cao said.

Cao said he did not fault President Benigno Aquino III for what happened to him but reiterated that he saw no valid reason for his ouster.

“I have no regrets…but the way they are dealing with me, I think this should reach the President. I cannot understand why I am being treated this way. What reason is there to remove me?”

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz welcomed Cacdac’s appointment.

“Having worked with him for a long time, I know Usec Cacdac to be very capable of pushing much-needed reforms at the POEA in consonance with President Aquino’s 22-point labor and employment agenda and in pursuit of his social contract with the Filipino people and the Labor and Employment Plan 2011-2016,” Baldoz said in a statement.