Noy bares Cabinet shakeup in January

By Aurea Calica (The Philippine Star) Updated December 24, 2010

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino is happy with his Cabinet but he would be making some changes in his official family by January.

“Minor (shakeup), if at all, not exceeding three,” Aquino told The STAR in an interview in Malacañang yesterday.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Cabinet secretaries were asked to submit accomplishment reports to the Presidential Management Staff (PMS).

“There are no courtesy resignations,” he clarified.

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

“It’s also a benchmark of what we are doing. It’s important for us to have a benchmark on what we’re doing now and what we will be doing in the future.

“It’s important for us to know where we came from, what we are doing now and what we are doing in the future because we need to mesh the 16-point social contract of the President during the campaign with the medium-term priority development plan.”

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.

Aquino met with his communications group Friday to discuss the various reports to be presented to the people, the New Year’s message and the Ulat sa Bayan in January, he added.

Lacierda said the Ulat will detail what the Aquino administration will do for the whole of next year.

“There is no planned Cabinet meeting before the end of 2010 because we already met during the Christmas party,” he said.

Lacierda said Aquino prefers to divide the Cabinet into clusters instead of meeting as an entire body “so as not to waste the time of other Cabinet members who are not involved in a particular cluster.”

Lacierda said they would need to mesh Aquino’s 16-point platform during the campaign with the Medium Term Philippine Development Plan.

“It’s part of the yearend report,” he said.

“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.”

Aquino said he is very happy with most of his Cabinet secretaries.

“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.

Of the Cabinet appointees of Aquino, only the names of acting Environment Secretary Ramon Paje and Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo were not submitted to the Commission on Appointments (CA) for confirmation.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz had been named in a permanent capacity.

Aquino said some of his Cabinet members even exceeded his expectations like Energy Secretary Jose Rene Almendras, who unfortunately was not immediately confirmed by the CA.

Aquino said Almendras was not involved but was being used in a local political fight and which could have affected his confirmation.

“Rene Almendras never worked for government, his first job was in the banking sector.”

Aquino said Almendras performed well when typhoon “Basyang” hit the country.

Instead of the announced four days, power was restored in less than 24 hours, and in Cagayan Valley where 12 towers were toppled, it took only two weeks to bring back electricity instead of the usual three to four months, he added.

Aquino said 13 cooperatives elsewhere mobilized their people and their equipment to assist the Department of Energy in restoring power in Cagayan Valley.

“Even if storms were coming, teams were already on the way,” he said. “We want to highlight the bayanihan, the spirit of cooperation.”

Aquino also said he has no plans to replace Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr.

“I’m really convinced there is a campaign (against Ochoa),” he said, adding, “I really think I have a good team.”

“Look at the economic team, both of them (Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima and Trade Secretary Gregory Domingo) have produced, clearly close to $6-billion worth of investments and even plus, plus, plus that they were able to bring in, still they are being attacked.

“Take away all these people who I trust and who are working well, (and) I will get people who I will not trust and who will not work as well or perhaps a working relationship will not exist and I will become less effective.

“I’ll alienate myself from the people because I am not fulfilling their expectations. So that could become my weak point, they will highlight every minor fault and try to suppress every positive accomplishment.”

He also said that only a few positions remain to be filled, from the over 4,000 positions that needed appointments when he took office last June 30. – Delon Porcalla