Still no women in Duterte Cabinet

Presumptive President-elect Rodrigo Duterte. NESTOR CORRALES/INQUIRER.net

DAVAO CITY—Presumptive President-elect Rodrigo Duterte on Monday remained noncommittal on appointing women to his Cabinet.

“Baka merong babae. Baka wala. I am still trying to figure out kung sinu-sino,” Duterte told reporters in a press briefing here.

He admitted that choosing members of his Cabinet was not easy.

“Nahihirapan akong pumili,” he said.

Duterte earlier said that integrity and competence were his criteria for choosing the members of his administration.

“I need to investigate. They might have conflict of interest,” he said.

Duterte’s transition team earlier said they wanted his administration to be representative of the country as a whole.

They said his administration would be similar to the Cabinet of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, where women have roles in government.

As of posting time, Duterte has not appointed any female Cabinet member.

The incoming President, however, recently named former immigration commissioner Andrea Domingo as head the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor), a government-owned and -controlled corporation.