Poll losers now eligible for gov’t posts

Politicians who were defeated in the May 2016 elections may now assume government posts after the one-year ban on their appointment expires on Wednesday.

The losing candidates were barred from assuming positions in the government within a year after the elections held on May 9, 2016 as provided in the 1987 Constitution.

The Constitution provides in Article 9 (B), Section 6 that “no candidate who has lost in any election, shall within one year after election, be appointed to any office in the government or any government-owned or controlled corporation or in any of its subsidiaries.”

The same provision is included in Republic Act No. 7160, or the Local Government Code of the Philippines.

Under the Local Government Code’s Section 94 (b), titled “Appointment of elective and appointive local officials; candidates who lost in an election:”

“Except for losing candidates in barangay elections, no candidate who lost in an election, shall, within one year after such election, be appointed to any office in government or any government-owned or controlled corporations or in any of their subsidiaries.”

Meanwhile, Malacañang announced on Tuesday that former Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. has been appointed special envoy for intercultural dialogue under the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

DFA spokesperson Robespierre Bolivar said De Venecia’s appointment would run from April until September this year.

The appointment was “in recognition of his (De Venecia’s) active role in promoting intercultural and interfaith dialogue for many years,” Bolivar added.

“As special envoy, his duties are basically to advise the government regarding intercultural dialogue issues to make recommendations to the government on how to advance Philippine interests with regards to this issue,” he said.

De Venecia served as Speaker of the House of Representatives from 1992 to 1998 and from 2001 to 2008, making him the first Filipino to hold the post five times in separate terms.

He united the National Union of Christian Democrats with President Ramos’ Lakas Tao party and created the so-called “Rainbow Coalition” in the 1990s.

The former House speaker also served as President Ramos’ peace envoy reaching out to the Moro National Liberation Front, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, military rebel groups Reform the Armed Forces Movement and the Young Officers’ Union, and the Communist Party of the Philippines.