Quit Cabinet now, lawyer tells Roxas

Interior Secretary Mar Roxas INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

A party-list lawmaker on Friday asked Interior Secretary Mar Roxas to leave his Cabinet post irrevocably for the sake of “delicadeza,” or propriety, now that he appears to be “clearly pursuing his presidential ambitions.”

“As the so-called anointed one, Secretary Roxas practically now has at his disposal the vast machinery and resources of the government. Thus, questions about the sources of his early massive campaign ads are not outlandish,” Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate said.

“That you already have the presidential spokesman answering questions for Mar, speaks volume of how the ruling party takes advantage of the government machinery to push this early his candidacy,” Zarate said in a statement.

Roxas, who got President Aquino’s endorsement early this month, had submitted his resignation from the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). The President, however, asked him to stay longer to finish some projects while he has no replacement yet.

But another lawmaker belonging to the progressive Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives said it was clear that Aquino had politics in mind.

In a separate statement, Gabriela Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan accused the Aquino administration of being “too busy politicking and campaigning for 2016.”

She criticized President Aquino for his apparent lack of concern regarding the government’s “international notoriety” on human rights, citing the controversy over the military’s misrepresentation of the statement of a United Nations rapporteur on the human rights situation of indigenous people in Mindanao.

Zarate challenged Aquino to stop dillydallying and “to let go of his anointed one,” lest Roxas be accused of using his position to further his campaign.

He earlier pointed out how funds for the DILG had increased dramatically from P65.6 billion in 2010 to P104.5 billion in 2015 with lump sum appropriations amounting to P13.7 billion in 2015 alone.

“We have pointed out how huge lump sums are vulnerable to abuse for corruption and patronage, especially with Malacañang’s brazen moves to perpetuate the pork barrel system through redefining the meaning of savings in the proposed national budget,” Zarate said.

“Additionally, the heavy funding of the DILG to local government units is a campaign maneuver, because it is common knowledge among politicians that LGUs are the base in ensuring electoral victories for presidential races,” he said.

Among other appropriations, the DILG received P7.2 billion for water supply and management through the Bottom-Up Budgeting and “Salintubig” provision for potable water supply, and P1.2 billion in assistance to informal settlers.