Manila solon corrects CA vote report

Manila Rep. Rosenda Ann Ocampo said on Thursday she voted “yes” to confirm Gina Lopez as environment secretary, refuting news reports that listed her as among the members of the Commission on Appointments (CA) who voted “no.”

“I voted for Gina. That is a fact,” she said.

In a phone interview with the Inquirer, Ocampo said she was surprised when her staff informed her of media reports identifying her as one of the 16 who rejected Lopez’s appointment to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

“I was surprised, so I texted Gina, and we had a series of exchanges. She said she believes me. How can I prove myself? From the start, I was championing her cause,” Ocampo said.

The congresswoman was the only one in the 12-member House contingent in the CA who favored confirming Lopez, whose staunch antimining policies drew stiff objections and intense lobbying from the mining industry.

All the other “no” votes came from senators, or at least according to what they told the media.

Secret balloting

Through a secret balloting, the CA voted 16-8 to reject Lopez’s appointment.

During the CA plenary on Lopez’s appointment, Senators Loren Legarda, JV Ejercito and Senate Majority Leader Vicent Sotto III stood up to say that they voted for Lopez, while Sen. Francis Pangilinan declared he and three other Liberal Party mates—Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto and Sen. Bam Aquino— also voted for her.

Sen. Manny Pacquiao, head of the committee, told reporters and a senator that he also voted for Lopez.

Secrecy rule

It was not immediately clear which senator had voted “no” to Lopez but later told reporters otherwise. To make matters more confusing, Isabela Rep. Rodolfo Albano III, the CA’s majority floor leader, said there had been an abstention.

“I don’t know the numbers,” Ocampo said.

Under CA rules, the members may face expulsion or dismissal if they violate the secrecy rule on matters discussed in the executive session.

Two CA members said it appeared that one of the eight senators, who claimed to have voted for the confirmation of Lopez did not vote for her.

The two lawmakers arrived at this observation after they insisted that Ocampo had voted for Lopez in the secret balloting.

Ocampo said she had tried “at the last minute” to maneuver so that Lopez could be bypassed only, and then possibly reappointed again.

Authoritarian leanings

Sen. Panfilo Lacson said Lopez’s authoritarian tendencies were among the reasons he thumbed down her appointment. While Lopez “has a lot of passion and enthusiasm” she was neither fit nor qualified for the post, Lacson said.

“Worse, she admittedly arrogated unto herself the authority which is not prescribed under the existing laws of the land. That makes her potentially dangerous as a department head,” the senator said. —WITH REPORTS FROM CHRISTINE O. AVENDAÑO AND JEANNETTE I. ANDRADE