Environment Secretary Paje fails to get CA panel nod

Environment Secretary Ramon Paje. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Environment Secretary Ramon Paje failed to get on Wednesday the approval of the Commission on Appointments.

For more than two hours, members of the committee on environment and natural resources grilled Paje but his confirmation hearing ended without the committee’s action on his appointment.

At least one oppositor, Zamboanga del Sur Governor Antonio Cerilles faced the confirmation hearing to oppose Paje’s appointment.

Three more others would oppose the DENR chief’s appointment, said Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, who presided over the hearing.

“There was no deferment. I just suspended the hearing because there are still more questions for him,” Escudero told reporters after the hearing.

Escudero is confident though that Paje will still be confirmed by the commission.
“Mostly nagsasabi [say] that they don’t really oppose, but they have questions, concerns that they want the department to address,” he added.