Poe endorses DAR chief’s appointment, but vows to watch his next steps

We will keep an eye on you.

Senator Grace Poe gave this gentle reminder to Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary John Rualo Castriciones as she, as chair of the Commission on Appointments’ committee on agrarian reform, endorsed his confirmation on Wednesday.

“Babantayan po namin ang magiging hakbang ninyo. Maging mabuti sa lahat ng nasasakupan. Maging masinop sa salapi at pag-aari ng mamamayan at ng pamahalaan. Iwaksi ang paghihiganti. Ginoong Kalihim, naway maging makatarungan, maayos at makabuluhan sa lahat ang inyong paglilingkod sa Kagawaran (We will watch your next steps. Be good to employees. Be prudent with finances and the resources owned by the public and the government. Forget vengeance. Mr. Secretary, please be fair, orderly and meaningful in your service to the Department),” Poe said in her sponsorship speech.

The senator added that the next time Castriciones will appear at the CA to defend DAR’s budget, he will be asked detail what actions were taken on matters the CA had raised with him before.

“This is my way of reminding the nominee that executive work involves constant navigation through a lot of constitutional checkpoints, the most tiring and tedious of which is during the appropriations season in front of the same members of this body,” Poe said.

“So those questions we asked the nominee during the past weeks will not be archived, but simply bookmarked to be raised until we meet again, and raised again and again until the answers fully satisfy us,” she added.

Poe said Castriciones’ confirmation was decided upon by majority of the CA members.

“The Commission on Appointments is a collegial body and works on the basis of cooperation, democratic process of majority rule and mutual respect. Members may have variance in opinion, observations and perspectives in the assessment of officials, subject of approval in the CA,” Poe said.

She revealed that legitimate concerns raised in Castriciones’ case include his alleged lack of administrative qualifications and experience, the continuing issues on the slow distribution of certificates of land ownership (CLOAs), concerns about food security, pending agrarian reform cases and his alleged inaction, and inaccessibility on certain issues.

She then requested Castriciones to reach out to farmers, fisher folk, agrarian reform beneficiaries, both land owners and tenants and all constituents of the DAR, including those who opposed his confirmation.

“Mr. Chairman, my dear colleagues, the nominee has his weaknesses which he has been candid about, which I believe can be overcome by his strengths,” Poe concluded. /ee

READ: CA body confirms DAR Secretary Castriciones