CA members fear for their safety– Lacson

Panfilo Lacson

Some members of the Commission on Appointments (CA) have expressed concern for their safety if they reject the confirmation of Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo and Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano, according to Sen. Panfilo Lacson.

President Duterte has appointed Mariano, a former peasant leader, and Taguiwalo, a well-known political activist and former University of the Philippines professor, as part of his administration’s efforts to broker a peace deal with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

But their official designation remained in limbo along with another Cabinet member, Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial.

Interviewed over dzBB on Sunday, Lacson said some CA members were afraid that the New People’s Army (NPA), the CPP’s armed wing, might kill them if they opposed the appointments of Taguiwalo and Mariano.

He said this was the reason the 24-member commission moved to amend its rules by holding secret balloting, which was first adopted when it thumbed down the appointment of Perfecto Yasay Jr. as foreign secretary two months ago.

“They said they represented areas and provinces [that] were infested by NPA [rebels]. I’m not referring to myself, but there were some who expressed the possibility that they might be ambushed if they returned to their provinces because they openly rejected Secretary Taguiwalo,” Lacson said.
“Isn’t it a valid concern?” he said in Filipino.

Citing the 1987 Constitution, Lacson said a secretary-designate would need to get the votes of at least 13 CA members before he or she could be confirmed.