Duterte Cabinet to follow Trudeau’s—well represented, gender-sensitive

Front-running presidential candidate Mayor Rodrigo Duterte smiles during a news conference shortly after voting in a polling precinct at Daniel R. Aguinaldo National High School, Matina district, his hometown in Davao city, southern Philippines Monday, May 9, 2016. Duterte was the last to vote among five presidential hopefuls. AP File Photo

The Cabinet members of presumptive President Rodrigo Duterte would be similar to the Cabinet of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, his transition team said on Friday.

“We wanted to ideally follow Prime Minister Trudeau’s Cabinet in Canada,” Peter Laviña, Duterte’s spokesman, said in a televised press briefing in Davao City.

Laviña said they wanted the administration of Duterte to be well represented and gender-sensitive.

“We have plenty of lumad. We have plenty of ethnic women and those from the social sectors. Ideally, of course, we would also be looking forward to a balanced Cabinet because the constituency of the country is divided into so many sectors,” he said.

READ: New faces, top names from previous governments eyed for Duterte Cabinet

“He wanted young people. We are also sensitive on gender issues so hopefully maraming babae (there would be many Cabinet members who are women),” he added.

He said the composition of Duterte’s Cabinet would be announced once the presumptive president approves the potential members of his administration.

“We will announce the names of the members of the cabinet as soon as they are ready, even piecemeal,” he said.

Laviña, however, said that the Duterte’s Cabinet members “don’t necessarily have to come from Mindanao,” adding that they should be “the best and the brightest.”

On Friday, Laviña their transition team has created six clusters to start the selection of potential Cabinet members.

READ: Duterte’s transition team divided into 6 clusters

Members of the transition team who will head each cluster are:

Social development: Leoncio “Jun” Evasco Jr., national campaign head and Maribojoc, Bohol mayor

Peace and security: Christopher “Bong” Go, executive assistant and campaign sortie manager

Economic development: Carlos Dominguez III, businessman and campaign finance manager

Judiciary: Atty. Salvador Medialdea

Government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs): Atty. Loreto Ata

Infrastructure development: Peter Laviña

Laviña said the criteria for selecting Cabinet members are shared vision, integrity, competence and ability and willingness to sacrifice.

He also cited the exigency of appointing an economic team and a foreign affairs secretary.

“It is important to immediately appoint an economic team and a foreign affairs secretary to immediately convey to the business community and the world that we are ready to immediately go down to business,” he said. RAM