Lacson: Yasay has to vacate DFA post immediately

Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay will have to immediately vacate his post after the Commission on Appointments (CA) unanimously rejected his appointment this Wednesday, Senator Panfilo Lacson has said.

“He’s (Yasay) been rejected, he was just rejected, he will have to vacate,” Lacson told reporters after the CA voted to reject Yasay’s appointment.

“The President should appoint even in an active capacity. Meron namang succession e, there’s a senior undersecretary who can take over,” he said.

Lacson, who moved to reject Yasay’s appointment as chair of the CA’s committee on foreign affairs, said the nominee could not be reappointed as Foreign Secretary because the Commission had already rejected him.

READ: CA rejects appointment of Yasay

The senator said Yasay could not also be appointed to another post if charges are filed against him and proven that he was not qualified to hold any government posts.

Before making the motion, the CA panel held an executive session to decide on Yasay’s fate. Lacson said all 15 members of the panel present during the caucus voted to reject his appointment for being a US citizen and for not telling the truth before the Commission.

“He was not telling the truth because he was not being forthright in the question and answer portion of the two hearings we conducted. We decided to reject his ad interim appointment,” the senator said.

READ: Yasay admits to CA: ‘I was granted US citizenship in 1986

The decision of the CA, he said, only showed that the body would not be a “rubber stamp” of Malacañang.

“We all know how close Atty. Yasay is to the President and it did not deter the Commission from acting independently,” Lacson added. JE