Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto III. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
Senate Majority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said he will vote to confirm on Wednesday the ad interim appointment of controversial Environment Secretary Gina Lopez.
The Commission on Appointments’ committee on environment and natural resources is set to meet at 10:00 am on Wednesday to deliberate and vote on Lopez’s confirmation.
“Boboto ako (I will vote),” Sotto told reporters, “Basta ako, I’ll vote for her confirmation. Win or lose.”
He said Lopez was not only corrupt-free but she is also the first “environmentalist” to head the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Besides, Sotto said, the Commission had confirmed in the past a number of Cabinet officials who had no “sterling backgrounds.”
“Yung iba pa nga mga questionable na -approved. Ito pang wala namang corruption sa katawan, wala namang mga alegasyon e,” he said.
(There were questionable personalities who were approved before. This woman has no tinge of corruption, there are no allegations against her.)
READ: Extreme? Gina Lopez says she’s just principled, passionate
“Hindi raw magaling kumanta (They are saying she is not a good singer). Does that disqualify a Cabinet member if she does not know how to sing? Is that enough to disqualify a Cabinet member,” the Majority Leader said, apparently referring to Lopez’s video circulating in social media showing her singing “I believe I can fly.”
“Sana’y ako sa hindi marunong kumanta e…Ang issue dun (I am used to dealing with people who do not know how to sing. The issue here is) will you be good for the department or not. I think she will be good for the department. It’s a first time that we’re going to have a department of environment secretary who is an environmentalist. Why don’t we give it a try?”
Neophyte Senator Manny Pacquiao, in a separate interview earlier, said he would also vote for Lopez’s confirmation.
READ: Pacquiao throws support behind Lopez confirmation
Sotto and Pacquiao, who belong to the majority bloc in the Senate, though admitted that Lopez had a 50-50 chance of getting the CA’s approval. IDL/rga