Duterte order only covers Aquino appointees – Palace

Only appointees of former President Benigno S. Aquino III are covered by the massive revamp authorized by President Duterte to stamp out corruption, a Palace official said yesterday.

Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said the government positions declared vacant as of Monday do not apply to “current appointees,” except for the two transport regulatory agencies earlier mentioned by the President.

“These are appointees from the past administration and do not refer to appointees of the current administration, except those who have been made reference to,” Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said in a Palace press briefing.

Presidential Communications Operations Secretary Martin Andanar said at least 6,000 appointees of the President and the former President are affected by the sweeping revamp.

“Those who have not yet submitted their courtesy resignations since the start of the new administration, they should now resign from their positions,” he said in Filipino.

He said the appointive government posts include the government-owned and -controlled corporations. Those holding positions with terms in constitutional bodies, however, have “immunity” from the President’s planned revamp.

CONFUSION

Before the Palace clarification, Duterte’s declaration sowed confusion among Cabinet secretaries.

At yesterday’s Development and Budget Coordination Committee briefing at the House of Representatives on President Duterte’s first proposed national budget for 2017, it was asked if Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, and Socio-Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia remain as members of the Cabinet.

Diokno, who led the budget briefing, said he has yet to clarify the President’s order.

“We will clarify it to the President if we are still keeping our post,” he told the lawmakers.

President Duterte has declared a major revamp in all government offices in the wake of reports of corrupt officials.

Pernia clarified that they remain as presidential appointees and are not deemed resigned.

“The newly appointed Cabinet secretaries are not covered by the order,” he said.

Over the weekend, the President ordered the vacancy of all appointive government positions after learning about persistent reports of corruption.

He said the number of affected government posts will reach a thousand. Duterte has already summoned the incumbent officials of Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board and the Land Transportation Office for alleged lingering corruption practices.

Early in the day, Andanar said Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea is expected to issue a memorandum circular about the vacancy of the appointive positions.

Likewise, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said Malacañang will soon issue an order for those who must vacate their posts.

“We heard President (Rodrigo) Duterte announce that all presidential appointees deemed vacated,” said Aguirre as he referred to removal of government officials who got appointed during the administration of former President Benigno S. Aquino III.

“Well, medyo hindi pa clear (It is not yet clear). We have not received the particular executive order to that effect but we believe this only concerns the co-terminus employees appointed during PNoy administration,” he said.

BIR SHUFFLE

At the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), more than 60 key field officials, mostly revenue district officers (RDO), were given new assignments yesterday, signaling the start of the nationwide revamp of frontliners.

BIR Commissioner Caesar R. Dulay anchored the personnel changes to the instructions of President Duterte of ridding the bureaucracy of grafters and inefficient public servants.

“We are trying our best to put the right people to right positions,” said Revenue Deputy Commissioner for Operations Nestor S. Valeroso.

Informed sources said the reshuffle of the 19 regional directors and other RDOs will take place before the end of the month.

Among the RDOs transferred to plum posts in Metro Manila were Florante Aninag, East Makati; Rebe Detablan, West Makati; Christina Barroga, Quiapo-Sampaloc-San Miguel; Vicky Reinante, South Quezon City; Edith Calipusan, South Manila; Ramer Narvaez, East Pasig; Amy Combes, Las Piñas City.

Pete Fernando, Mandaluyong City; Antonio Mangubat, San Juan; Mariza Uy, Marikina; Ricardo Espiritu, Binondo; Alfredo Santos, Malabon-Navotas; Virgilio Cembrano, Pasay City and Beth Bautista, Taguig City; Rhodora Icaranom, Cainta-Taytay, and Corazon Balinas, Velenzuela City.

Also transferred were Director Teresita Angles from head executive assistant to assistant commissioner of the large taxpayers service (LTS) and Magdalena Ancheta from head of the programs and compliance group of the LTS to chief of the LTS excise group.(With reports from Jeffrey G. Damicog and Jun Ramirez)

Source:
courtesy of MANILA BULLETIN

by Genalyn D. Kabiling & Charissa M. Luci

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