Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Senator Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada was a no-show at the confirmation hearing of Commissioner Heidi Mendoza of the Commission on Audit (COA) on Tuesday but still managed to derail her appointment.
Estrada, who promised to block Mendoza’s appointment, sent a letter to the Commission on Appointments’ committee on constitutional commissions and offices, requesting that he be allowed to aks questions to the appointee in the next hearing of the committee.
Ilocos Norte Representative Rodolfo Fariñas, a member of the committee, explained that when a member requests an opportunity to question any appointee, by practice, the body has to grant such request lest it be accused that the requesting party has been deprived that opportunity.
Fariñas then moved to defer Mendoza’s appointment pending Estrada’s questions for her.
But the committee did not immediately suspend the proceeding as it decided to proceed to hear other oppositors on Mendoza’s appointment.
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