(Updated) Senate Minority Leader Juan Ponce Enrile blocked on Wednesday at the powerful Commission on Appointments the confirmation of seven government officials, including five diplomats.
Enrile invoked Section 20 of the CA rules against Commission on Audit Commissioner Isabelle Dasalla-Agito and Civil Service Commission Commissioner Nieves Osorio.
With Enrile’s invocation of Section 20, the CA deferred the confirmations of the two.
Senate President Franklin Drilon, who was presiding over the session, said the invocation of the said section rule was “not debatable” under the rules.
Enrile also invoked the same section against the appointments of the following diplomats:
- Charles Jose as ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to Malaysia;
- Dennis Lepatan as ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Norway with concurrent jurisdiction over the Republic of Iceland, the Kingdom of Denmark, the Republic of Finland, and the Kingdom of Sweden;
- Celia Anna Feria as ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Spain with concurrent jurisdiction over the Principality of Andorra;
- Uriel Norman Garibay as ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Kenya with concurrent jurisdiction over the Republic of Burundi, Union of the Comoros, Republic of Malawi, Republic of Rwanda, Republic of Seychelles, Federal Republic of Somalia, United Republic of Tanzania, Republic of Uganda, Republic of South Sudan and permanent representative to the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) and United Nations Human Settlements Programme; and
- Lilybeth Deapera as ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary to the Republic of Chile with concurrent jurisdiction over the Republic of Peru and the Republic of Ecuador.
Enrile explained to reporters later why he blocked the confirmation of the seven officials.
“I will tell you, ambassadors deployed abroad are representatives of the president. It will be unfair to the next president if these people are appointed by the outgoing president. Three years tenure, you deprive the president of selecting the people that he would want to represent him,” he said of the five diplomats.
“Why not leave that to the incoming president? He is outgoing; why is he appointing his representatives that will last in their positions for three years, depriving the next president of the right of choosing his own representatives,” said the opposition leader, referring to President Benigno Aquino III.
Asked about the two commissioners, Enrile said: “Well, this is a packing system. They want to pack the constitutional commissions with their people. So, I have to perform my duty as an opposition and a minority floor leader.”
With the invocation of Section 20, Drilon said the five ambassadors could not go to their respective posts.
“And we just have to live with it,” the Senate leader said in a separate interview.
“After the elections, the Congress will again convene–I think it’s on May 25 that we will convene as National Board of Canvassers–and after we finish our work as National Board of Canvassers we will convene and put on our legislative agenda and the Commission on Appointments will again meet,” he pointed out.
Meanwhile, the CA confirmed the ad interim appointments of 20 senior officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. They are:
- Lieutenant General Romero Tanalgo
- Lieutenant General Glorioso Miranda
- Lieutenant General Mayoralgo Dela Cruz
- Major General Arnold Rafael Depakakibo
- Major General Job Yucoco
- Rear Admiral Bayani Gaerlan
- Rear Admiral Rafael Mariano
- Major General Benjamin Madrigal Jr.
- Rear Admiral Jorge Amba
- Brigadier General Noe Clement
- Brigadier General Ronnie Evangelista
- Brigadier General Robert Arevalo
- Brigadier General Dinoh Dolina
- Brigadier General Arnel Dela Vega
- Brigadier General Gerry Amante
- Commodore Francisco Gabudao Jr.
- Commodore Danilo Rodelas
- Brigadier General Rodel Mauro Alarcon
- Brigadier General David Diciano Sr.
- Brigadier General Nelia Valmonte
- Brigadier General Gener Del Rosario
- Colonel Jonathan Gabor (Philippine Navy-Marines)
- Captain Aldrin Doctor (Philippine Navy)
- Colonel Harold Anthony Pascua (Philippine Army)
- Colonel Armand Arevalo (Philippine Army)
- Colonel Consolito Yecla (Philippine Army)
- Colonel Gerudel Dellosa (Dental Service)
- Colonel Raul Hernandez (Philippine Navy-Marines)