Paje exposes ghost undersecretary at DENR office

Is there a ghost undersecretary at the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)?

Environment Secretary Ramon Paje on Tuesday expressed puzzlement over a report that he had been replaced by “Environment Undersecretary Jose N. Ferrer Jr.,” when no such person was on the current roster of DENR officials.

Paje said there was no truth to the report of his impending replacement, and sent the Inquirer a copy of his appointment paper as “ad interim (acting)” secretary. The appointment was dated June 7.

Ferrer, reportedly a former classmate of President Aquino, did serve in the Cabinet of then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as undersecretary but his appointment was not renewed when Aquino took office, Paje said.

“I recommended him for renewal but it was not approved by the OP (Office of the President),” Paje said in a phone interview.

No longer in plantilla

Ferrer is no longer listed in the DENR directory of officials on its website.

Oddly enough, the Presidential Communications Operations Office still has Ferrer’s name in its directory of DENR officials, along with another former undersecretary, Jeremias Dolino, and four current officials.

A check with the DENR personnel records showed that Ferrer, appointed by Arroyo in October 2006, was actually no longer in the DENR plantilla as of November 2008, according to DENR public affairs head Maria Sabrina Cruz.

On Aug. 1, 2011, the Office of the President in fact sent Paje a letter, a copy of which was sent to the Inquirer, informing him that Ferrer was no longer connected with the DENR.

The letter, signed by Undersecretary Ronaldo Geron, read: “It has come to our attention that the former DENR Undersecretary Atty. Jose N. Ferrer Jr. is still reporting for work and continues occupying his former office. Please be informed that the President has not appointed Atty. Ferrer to any position in the government, much less at the DENR.”

‘Backup’ for Paje

But even more curiously, Ferrer—as “environment undersecretary”—represented the government at the 2nd Caraga Mining Community Symposium in Surigao City at the weekend.

Paje actually sent Mines and Geosciences Bureau Director Leo Jasareno to fill in for him at the forum, Cruz said.

But when Jasareno contacted the organizers, a group of mining companies, he was told they already had a “backup” to represent the government, Cruz said.

Paje said it was irresponsible to report that the President had sent “Environment Undersecretary Ferrer” to the event when the person held no such position.

President’s name dragged

“My point is I don’t think the President sent Jose Ferrer to that event … It’s unfortunate the President’s name is being dragged into this,” Paje said.

“The question is: Is there an Undersecretary Ferrer and is that so difficult to verify?”

Paje said it was clear some people were interested in his post. But as to where the rumors were originating, he said: “I do not really care where it is coming from. The point is there is no Environment Undersecretary Ferrer.”

Paje was among the first Cabinet members appointed by Aquino in June 2010.

A career officer at the DENR, he had served in various capacities for two decades: as undersecretary for field operations, undersecretary for environment and programs development, assistant secretary for management and international environmental affairs, director for human resource development and undersecretary for environment and natural resources operations.

No such appointment

Malacañang squelched speculations that Paje would be replaced.

“I don’t think he’s being removed,” said deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte.

Valte also said there was no appointment for a DENR post for a “Jose Ferrer.”

Secretary Herminio Coloma of the Presidential Communication and Operations Office said: “We never had any undersecretary by that name.”

Paje was supposed to speak Tuesday at an international biodiversity conference in Tagaytay City but his slot was taken over by

Undersecretary Manuel Gerochi.

Gerochi told reporters he was informed Paje had been called to a Cabinet meeting and this was the reason he had to beg off from the Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Heritage Parks conference in Tagaytay.

‘Complete lie’

On Monday, a source whose name has been mentioned in the controversy claimed that Malacañang was replacing Paje because of his supposed involvement in the alleged pork barrel scam involving Philippine Forest Corp. (Philforest).

“Secretary Paje was advised to resign by Malacañang as early as July,” said the source, who asked not to be identified for lack of authority to speak about the matter.

Paje dismissed that report as “a complete lie.”

Among other things, the source claimed Malacañang was distancing itself from Paje because of the Philforest issue.

A Philforest official recently accused Paje of washing his hands off the scam in which 11 supposedly dubious nongovernment organizations had used state-owned corporations to access P471 million in the Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) allocations of lawmakers.

Scam not sanctioned

Clemente Bautista, national coordinator of the Kalikasan-People’s Network for the Environment and a Philforest board official, said the transactions could not have happened without Paje’s knowledge.

“He is either displaying sheer incompetence for allowing Philforest’s pork scams to run under his nose for at least three years despite clear signs of graft and corruption, or is possibly orchestrating a scapegoat and whitewash scenario,” Bautista said.

Paje shot down claims that he sanctioned the release of pork barrel funds through Philforest.

“The funds did not pass through the Philforest board where I am chairman. The funds were released directly to the President. Had I known, I would have blocked it. As soon as I came on board in 2010, I ordered the DENR or its affiliates would not be used as conduits for the release of (the PDAF),” Paje said.—With reports from TJ Burgonio and Gil Cabacungan in Manila; Maricar Cinco, Inquirer Southern Luzon; and Danilo V. Adorador III, Inquirer Mindanao.

Originally posted: 9:08 pm | Tuesday, October 1st, 2013