Roxas’ duties to be clearly defined

MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang will soon come out with an administrative order that will define the tasks of former Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas II who will be joining the Cabinet as President Benigno Aquino III’s chief of staff, Palace spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said Monday.

The administrative order would ensure there would be no friction among Cabinet members since the duties of Roxas would be defined to avoid any overlapping of functions, according to Lacierda.

Speaking to reporters at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City while waiting for the President to arrive from his four-day trip to Indonesia, Lacierda said there was a need to define Roxas’ role.

The President had told reporters in Jakarta that Roxas, his defeated running mate in the last elections, would join the Cabinet as his chief of staff as soon as the ban on appointing losing candidates expires on June 30.

President Aquino said Roxas would be given a “very demanding task” involving “sensitive matters.”

“Maybe the administrative order will better explain his role,” Lacierda said, adding that he did not know when Roxas would assume his new job.

Lacierda also did not think the position of chief of staff would need confirmation by the Commission on Appointments.

He also doused fears that Roxas’ entry in the Cabinet would lead to a clash with Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., who is said to belong to a faction in the Palace at odds with Roxas.

Ochoa is linked to the so-called Samar group of the Aquino presidential campaign that supported the candidacy of Vice President Jejomar Binay.

“I think the President will make sure that roles are defined so there will be no overlapping and that the important thing is that the Cabinet will work together as one,” Lacierda said.

He added that Roxas would be an “asset” to the government and that Palace officials were “looking forward” to his presence in government.

An administrative order is needed to create the chief of staff position because the position was abolished during the term of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, according to Undersecretary Manolo Quezon III of the Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office.

Quezon said Arroyo abolished the position in February 2008 after it had been vacant for a year and a half. Her last chief of staff was Joey Salceda, now governor of Albay.

It was President Joseph Estrada who created the chief of staff position in February 2000, appointing Aprodicio Lacquian. But Lacquian was soon fired after he was quoted by media as saying that he was often the only one sober during late night drinking sessions in Malacañang.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson Monday put in a favorable word for Roxas as the President’s chief of staff.

Talking to reporters at the resumption of the Senate session, Lacson recalled that the two running mates (Aquino and Roxas) were “comfortable with each other” and Roxas’ experience would be invaluable in Malacañang. With a report from Philip C. Tubeza