Cimatu confirmation deferred anew

Newly-appointed acting Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu poses for a photo before he was sworn into office by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte prior to the start of the 15th Cabinet Meeting at the State Dining Room of Malacañan Palace on May 7, 2017. ROBINSON NIÑAL/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO

The Commission on Appointments (CA) deferred anew the confirmation of acting Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy Cimatu on Wednesday.

Senator Manny Pacquiao, chairman of the Commission on Appointments’ committee on environment and natural resources, said the hearing will resume next week, October 4.

Pacquiao said members of the CA from the House of Representatives still have “important questions” to ask to Cimatu.

“Anyway, the CA is happy (with) the answer of the secretary today. ‘Yung mga tanong na binato sa kanya nasagot niya ng tama lahat at masaya kami. ‘Yun lang ‘yung walang members dito ng CA from lower house na kailangan ding masagot ng secretary,” Pacquiao said in an ambush interview.

(The questions thrown at him were answered well and we were pleased with that. The only thing is that the members of CA from the lower house who aren’t here need to be given answers by the secretary as well.)

He said it’s possible that the bicameral committee will vote on Cimatu’s appointment on the day of the next hearing.

President Duterte tapped Cimatu, a former military chief, to replace environment advocate Gina Lopez whose nomination was rejected by the CA in May.

On Cimatu’s second time to face the CA panel, Pacquiao announced that Cimatu’s lone oppositor has withdrawn his stand.

The sole oppositor Manuel Galvez protested defective air quality monitoring machines. Cimatu assured that the machines of the DENR will be compliant to the provisions of the Clean Air Act.

During the hearing, Senator Loren Legarda, chair of the committee on climate change, said Cimatu should be confirmed immediately because of an ongoing “environmental crisis.”

“What are we waiting for, grilling him? I mean, there’s an environmental crisis, Payatas, mining, there’s climate change, there’s biodiversity. He may not have answers to all questions and no person will have all answers to questions. Let’s just confirm him and let him do his job,” Legarda said. /je