No replacement yet for Taguiwalo—Palace

OUT OF CABINET By a 13-11 vote, the Commission on Appointments rejected on Wednesday the appointment of Judy Taguiwalo as social welfare secretary. —LYN RILLON

President Rodrigo Duterte has not chosen a replacement for outgoing Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo after the Commission on Appointment (CA) rejected her ad interim appointment, Malacañang said Friday.

“As of now, wala pa. Walang dumarating sa aking pangalan. Hindi pa natin alam (As of now, there is no replacement yet. No one has been named. We do not know yet),” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a Palace briefing.

The CA rejected with finality in an executive session on Wednesday the appointment of Taguiwalo after a two-hour hearing of her confirmation.

READ: CA rejects Taguiwalo’s appointment

Abella said that despite the secretary’s rejection, “the President has repeatedly given full trust and support for Secretary Taguiwalo, even when she sided with Leftist groups opposing the President’s position.”

“In the end, however, the law requires that we abide by decision of Commission on Appointments on presidential nominations,” he said.

Taguiwalo, he said, would always have the President’s gratitude and friendship for the time they both served the people.

Abella said he has yet to confirm if Duterte has appointed an officer in charge for the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

Robredo a ‘difficult choice’

Abella said Vice President Leni Robredo would be a “difficult choice” as social welfare secretary.

Robredo’s name as possible replacement for Taguiwalo was floated after the unofficial online poll of Assistant Secretary Margaux “Mocha” Uson showed the vice president was leading.

But Abella downplayed Uson’s survey.

“I’m sure the President has the other ways of measuring a candidate’s capability, aside from surveys,” he said. “It means that the President has a different set of categories.”

The Palace official said there may be conditions that would not favor Robredo to be the next social welfare secretary.

“Perhaps, there may be conditionalities that may not be too favorable regarding that. I don’t know. It all depends on the President,” he said.

Pressed on what conditions would not favor Robredo, he said, “For the plain and simple reason, for example, she has already resigned from, you know. That particular job is a Cabinet level job.”

In December 2016, Robredo resigned from Duterte’s Cabinet just 150 days after she took her oath as chair of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC).

The resignation followed Duterte’s decision to bar her from attending Cabinet meetings.

READ: Robredo resigns from Duterte Cabinet

Abella, however, clarified he was not against Robredo’s appointment but said it would be a “difficult choice.”

“I’m not saying no for Leni, I’m saying that it seems to be a difficult choice,’ he said. IDL