Roxas faces CA as Santiago moves to block confirmation

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines– Incoming Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas on Wednesday faced the powerful Commisson on Appointments amid Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago’s threat to veto his confirmation.

But Santiago was notably absent when the CA’s committee on interior and and local government began at around 10:30 am.

Santiago wrote the committee Tuesday informing it of her intention to invoke Section 20 of the rules, which authorizes a member of the body to block one’s nomination.

It was Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, who fired the first question on Roxas.

“How do you define insanity,” Lacson said, eliciting laughter from people in the hearing room.

But Lacson said he was serious with his question, prompting Roxas to give his answer.

Roxas defined “insanity” as repeatedly doing something, expecting different results.

It was Roxas’ first appearance in the CA hearing as newly appointed head of the Department of Interior and Local Government.

He replaced the late Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, who perished in a plane crash last August 18.

Santiago threatened to block Roxas’ confirmation after he did not show up in last week’s hearing the senator examined the performance of resigned Interior Undersecretary Renato Puno.