CA bypasses appointments of Bonoan, Tulfo, 13 other execs

The Senate building at the GSIS Complex in Pasay City. (Photo by LYN RILLON / Philippine Daily Inquirer)

MANILA, Philippines — The appointments of Public Works Secretary Manuel Bonoan and Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo are considered bypassed by the Commission on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday.

The CA deliberations on Bonoan and Tulfo’s ad-interim appointment were not accommodated due to lack of time. The Senate will be in recess by October 1.

According to Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, officials appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. who were not confirmed need to be reappointed.

“[A]ll the Secretaries, not just Sec. Tulfo and Sec. Bonoan who have not been confirmed will have to seek a reappointment by the President as they would all be considered bypassed,” Zubiri told reporters in a message.

Initially, five CA panels were scheduled to discuss the ad-interim appointments of five officials named by the President.

The committees on foreign affairs, justice and judicial and bar council (JBC), and budget and management have tackled the appointments of Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, JBC member Nesauro Firme, and Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, respectively.

The panels’ debates were supposed to end by 2 p.m. However, during that time, only the ad-interim appointments of Manalo, Firme, and 23 Department of Foreign Affairs officials were recommended to the plenary.

However, Senator Grace Poe appealed to deliberate Pangandaman’s appointment, noting her efforts, especially now that Congress is looking into the 2023 national budget.

“I would just like to put it on record that our nominee in the Department of Budget has been diligently complying with requirements, has submitted all the requirements on time, and before actually the deadline,” Poe raised.

“It is actually with a heavy heart but I feel we are now delaying her hearing because of some other complications. If there are no questions that are too lengthy, I think we can appeal to the Senate President to tackle her appointment now,” she added.

Lawmakers agreed to Poe’s call.

Aside from Tulfo and Bonoan, the other officials whose ad-interim appointments and nomination were bypassed are:

• Vic Rodriguez – executive secretary, Office of the President (resigned)
• Trixie Cruz-Angeles – secretary, Presidential Communications Operations Office
• Raphael Lotilla – secretary, Department of Energy
• Benjamin Diokno – secretary, Department of Finance
• Jose Acuzar – secretary, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development
• Ivan John Uy – secretary, Department of Information and Communications Technology
• Susan Ople – secretary, Department of Migrant Workers
• Renato Solidum Jr. – secretary, Department of Science and Technology
• Alfredo Pascual – secretary, Department of Trade and Industry
• Jaime Bautista – secretary, Department of Transportation
• Arsenio Balisacan – secretary, National Economic and Development Authority
• Jose Calida – chairman, Commission on Audit
• Nelson Celis – commissioner, Commission on Elections

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JPV