Noynoy challenged by ‘midnight’ appointments

LETTERS FROM THE AGNO
March Fianza

Musicians in Baguio and La Trinidad will again come together to perform in a benefit concert dubbed “Concert for 10 Little Kids” organized for their colleague Dolfo Pedronio on June 17, 2010 at the Amarillo Bar (formerly Spirits Disco).

Dolfo is not physically ill or anything like that, but is in dire need of financial help to purchase construction materials for a little house that his kids can call “home” or “Our House.”

He and his kids rent a room along Asin road for P5000 but would rather spend the money for their daily expenses, rather than use it for the rent. Tickets are sold P50 only. Please come with your friends and help a good cause.
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Eyes and ears were glued to television sets and radios as Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III and Jejomar Cabauatan Binay were proclaimed President-elect and Vice President-elect, respectively, in a joint session by the Senate and House, 3:42 pm on my cell phone’s timer, Wednesday, June 9, 2010.

In a press conference following the proclamation PNoy made it clear that priority of his actions is to seriously identify the country’s problems in order to come up with the proper solution.

The President-elect has a gargantuan task of putting the country back on track as it has been derailed by its own driver. It has been running on the gutter and fortunately it did not fall down a ravine. At certain times, it was about to.

I sense some friends still talk behind my back about how I discussed to them why they should vote for Noynoy. Although I am very happy with the results because most of those I campaigned for beginning from Noynoy, Benguet Congressman-elect Ronald Cosalan, Mayor-elect Greg Abalos of La Trinidad, Benguet; some senators, Baguio councilors, other municipal mayors and councilors won. For Mar Roxas, I am still hopeful that he will win if he files his protest.

During the campaign, friends laughed about having TV host Boy Abunda as press secretary under Noynoy or Kris Aquino as spokesperson to which I replied that these are actually the things that we are fighting against, reason why we have to get rid of GMA and his election bets.

In fact, Noynoy was asked in the same presscon what he would do with the more than 250 “midnight” appointments that his predecessor signed. His answer was to ask them to tender their courtesy resignations and from that point in time, find out who will follow orders.

“Tingnan natin kung sinong susunod o hindi. Mahirap naman kung meron hindi susunod. Kung ganuon, eh walang mangyayari sa atin.” Certainly, what comes with the power (of the Office of the President) to appoint is the power to dismiss, President Noynoy said.

A lingering question is that why the hundreds of “midnight” appointments and antedated appointment orders? Administration officials came up with numbers saying that there are around 1,500 vacant positions in Malacanang that could be filled by the new administration.

However, Noynoy’s men double-checked this and found out that there were about 4,000 positions, but that a few thousands who held antedated orders were already appointed to these posts.

Senator Kiko Pangilinan said the 250 or so midnight appointees should follow PNP Chief Jesus Versoza's example by submitting courtesy resignations once the new President assumes office. Anyway, by then they would have no president to protect them and, like Romulo Neri, they may be left to fend for themselves.

Kiko said the appointments are the desperate moves of an outgoing President who will be made to account for her official acts when stripped of presidential immunity.

He further said GMA is creating a “phalanx of loyalists in the bureaucracy who she hopes will rally around her, use the resources of the government posts to protect her once she loses her immunity from suit after June 30."

A recent Supreme Court ruling allowed GMA to appoint the next chief justice however; this does not mean she has the authority to appoint officials in other government departments, SC spokesperson Midas Marquez clarified.

Executive Director Ramon Casiple of the Institute for Political Reforms (IPER) said the SC ruling which allowed the president to appoint the next chief justice may have “emboldened” her to appoint officials in the executive as well.

In the National Museum (NM), Arroyo signed at least 15 appointments to executive positions, revamped its board, including that of the National Historical Society (NHI), even when there were no vacancies for any post.

A news report said NM consultant John Silva was “shocked” at the sudden revamp in the institution which he said should be spared from politics.

“Unfortunately, I think the NM is being dragged into that situation," Silva was quoted in the news report.

In the Armed Forces of the Philippines, it has been reported even earlier before the elections that the appointment of Lt. General Delfin Bangit as AFP Chief of Staff has been antedated too so that it will fall outside the election ban of March 10.

The appointments of two more top-ranked soldiers namely, Philippine Army Commander Lt. Gen. Reynaldo Mapagu and Rear Admiral Feliciano Angue as chief of the Armed Forces National Capital Region Command (NCRCom), were also questioned.

It was cited that these appointments were made within the two-month ban on appointments within an election. Mapagu got his appointment on March 12, while Angue was appointed on March 13.

Bangit, Angue and Mapagu are members of PMA Class 78 that adopted GMA as “honorary classmate” and that their appointments were seen as “laying the foundation” for irregularities in the elections.

Bangit had served as senior aide-de-camp of GMA as well as commander of the Presidential Security Group for four years. By the way, his promotion to four-star general has expired, Sen. Rodolfo Biazon said last week.

Concerned members of the AFP saw Bangit’s appointment as a bad act that seemed to have bypassed senior officer Lt. Gen. Raymundo Ferrer, AFP Eastern Mindanao Command chief.

Ferrer was left in the selection of AFP chief of staff and Army commander as the respective appointees were Bangit and Mapagu of PMA Class ’78.

Bangit earlier debunked reports that Noynoy met with members of the PMA, particularly AFP Eastern Mindanao Command chief Lt. Gen. Ferrer. P-Noy countered this, admitting that he was approached by the soldiers to express concern over recent events.

So that when the appointments became “talk of the town,” Bangit came out saying that there are sectors who want to sow disorder in the military and to take advantage from it. Maybe so but there is no other outside sector that would divide the military than the military itself.

Remember, many were demoralized not only in the government sector when GMA appointed her manicurista to the Pag-ibig board, but in the military as well, when older senior officers were bypassed in the last appointments done by GMA. – marchfianza777@yahoo.com