New year cabinet revamp: 3 to go?

Aquino says ES Ochoa to stay;
Roxas ‘getting’ finance portfolio

MANILA (PinoyNews) -Although his spokesman had said earlier that there will be no Cabinet reshuffle, President Benigno S. Aquino III himself hinted last week that there’s one in the offing.

In fact, the President, who said he was happy with the performance of his Cabinet, went further by saying it may only be a minor revamp with 2 to 3 Cabinet members affected.

“Minor (shakeup), if at all, not exceeding three,” Aquino said in an interview in Malacañang.

“Right now I can think of only one that will be taking a different portfolio or will be taking a break,” he said, but refused to name the Cabinet members who would be removed.

This developed as opposition lawmakers urged President Aquino the Cabinet members who are not performing well and replace them with competent officials.

Leading those who made the call were House of Representatives Minority Leader and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman and Zambales Rep. Milagros Magsaysay as they asked the President to stop blaming others for the failure of his officials.

Magsaysay said many Cabinet officials “have been remiss in their jobs and brought embarrassment to his government.”

The Zambales lawmaker suggested that the President should start with Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim, legal counsel Ed de Mesa and members of his communications group that she described as “two-headed and going nowhere.”

Magsaysay said de Mesa had many defeats in legal battles and embarrassing flaws in key documents that he drafted, including the amnesty proclamation for rightist rebels.

There had been reports that former Senator Manuel “Mar” Roxas will either be the next Executive Secretary, Foreign Affairs Secretary or Finance Secretary.

Reports also had it that Executive Secretary Paquito “Jojo” Ochoa Jr. may be replaced by Roxas or Energy Secretary Rene Almendras and that former Congressman Neric Acosta will take over as Environment and Natural Resources secretary.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Jesse Robredo may also be replaced and given new assignment, the reports stated.

Amidst the guessing game after the President’s announcement, former Senator and Executive Secretary Ernesto Maceda stated in his column that those reeportedly on the chopping block are DILG Secretary Jessie Robredo, DILG Usec Rico E. Puno, Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez and Presidential Legal Counsel Eduardo de Mesa.

Maceda added that Rep. Irineo “Ayong” Maliksi (LP, Cavite 3rd district), a former governor of Cavite, is the probable DILG Secretary.

DFA Secretary Alberto Romulo has expressed a wish to be chairman of the Commission on Audit (COA) and former Ambassador to the US Albert del Rosario is in line to be the next DFA secretary, Maceda added.

Cabinet members have not been asked by Aquino to file their courtesy resignations as has been the tradition in the Palace on year-ends, but the Cabinet members were asked to submit their accomplishment reports.

The Cabinet reports may be incorporated in Aquino’s planned “Ulat ng Bayan.”

The Ulat will also detail what the Aquino administration will do for the whole of next year.

“We will make a report to the nation. He will mention what we have done and what we will be doing in the New Year,” said Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda.

Lacierda said the Presidential Management Staff has asked for the report which will also serve as a gauge on the performance of Cabinet members.

“It’s important for us to have a benchmark on what we’re doing now and what we will be doing in the future. We need to mesh the 16-point contract during the President’s campaign with the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan,” Lacierda said.

“I am not very clear if all the secretaries will submit but the PMS asked us so that’s what we’re doing,” he said.

Lacierda said the Presidential Communications Group under Secretaries Herminio Coloma and Ricky Carandang will come out with a yearend report and the President’s message for the New Year.