Militant solons: Mariano’s CA rejection, a calamitous and grave mistake

Militant lawmakers in the House of Representatives decried the Commission on Appointments’ (CA) rejection of former peasant leader and Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano’s appointment as Secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR).

In separate statements, representatives of Anakpawis and Bayan Muna criticized President Rodrigo Duterte for allegedly failing to exercise his political power to help Mariano obtain the approval of the powerful CA.

Anakpawis Rep. Ariel Casilao called the CA’s rejection of Mariano as a “calamitous and grave mistake” as it is tantamount to serving the interests of the landed elite.

READ: CA rejects Mariano’s appointment at DAR

“If the tens of millions of farmers do not see an ally within the Duterte Cabinet, it (is) akin to past regimes who upheld the interests of the rich landlords and oligarchs, as well as foreign monopoly, so there is no basis for the marginalized sector to approve of his presidency,” Casilao said.

“We don’t buy the ‘this-is-a-democratic-process’ rubbish, as the president could effortlessly demand his ‘allies’ to confirm Ka Paeng, as their contribution to his agenda for inclusive governance and for fundamental reforms in the country, hence, the buck simply stops with the president,” Casilao also said.

READ: Palace expresses regret over CA’s rejection of Mariano 

Bayan Muna Rep. Carlos Zarate deemed Mariano’s rejection as a “brazen maneuver of pro-US militarists, landlords and neo-liberals.”

“The Duterte Cabinet is now overwhelmingly composed of rabid reactionaries,” Zarate said, adding that only land-grabbers and landowners are pleased with Mariano’s rejection.

“Ang pangunahing naglaglag kay Ka Paeng ay si Pres. Duterte mismo. And, with this development, the reactionary character of the Duterte regime is now fully unmasked,” Zarate claimed.

Ifugao Rep. Teddy Baguilat, a member of the independent minority bloc, also lamented Mariano’s rejection as DAR chief.

“Notwithstanding my ideological differences with Ka Paeng Mariano, we are saddened that someone from the peasant sector and whose appointment engendered much promise that social justice would be aggressively pushed in an agency whose mandate is for the emancipation of farmers has been rejected by the administration-controlled CA,” Baguilat said. kga

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