House completes 25-member Commission on Appointments panel

MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives has formed its 12-member contingent to the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA).

The commission is the body empowered to approve or reject major Cabinet appointments and promotions in the military and diplomatic service.

It has 24 members, 12 from the House and 12 from the Senate, with the Senate president as its ex-officio chairman and presiding officer. Representation in the commission is by political party.

Elected chairman of the House contingent was Rep. Roilo Golez of Parañaque. By tradition, the head of the contingent is named CA vice chairman.

Members of the Golez panel are Antonio del Rosario of Capiz, Rosendo Labadlabad of Zamboanga del Norte, Erineo Maliksi of Cavite, Rex Gatchalian of Valenzuela City, Luis Villafuerte of Camarines Sur, Ferjenel Biron of Iloilo, Antonio Alvarez of Palawan, Rodolfo Antonino of Nueva Ecija, Pedro Romualdo of Camiguin, Simeon Datumanong of Maguindanao, and Rodante Marcoleta of the party-list group Alagad.

Golez, Del Rosario, Labadlabad, and Maliksi represent the Liberal Party, while Alvarez, Antonino and Romualdo represent the two factions of Lakas that are allied with the LP-led majority coalition.

Gatchalian and Villafuerte, and Biron are the representatives of the Nationalist Peoples’ Coalition and Nacionalista Party, respectively.

Marcoleta is the representative of party-list groups, while Datumanong is the lone representative of the House minority bloc, which is composed of 27 Lakas members.

Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II nominated the 11 CA members coming from the majority, including the three from LP’s Lakas allies, while Minority Leader Edcel Lagman nominated Datumanong.

Before Gonzales presented his nominees, Lagman took the floor to tell his colleagues that the majority had no right to nominate Lakas representatives in the CA.

Lagman said since representation in the appointments commission is by political party, it is he, as the highest Lakas officer in the House hierarchy, who should nominate Lakas members in the CA, including those coming from the two factions allied with the majority.

After the plenary confirmed Gonzales’ nominees, Lagman said had he been given the opportunity to choose all Lakas representatives, he would have chosen Datumanong, Zambales Rep. Mitos Magsaysay and La Union Rep. Victor Ortega, who all belong to his group, and one from LP’s Lakas allies.

Failing to make it to the CA, Ortega asked Gonzales permission to nominate Alvarez, Antonino and Romualdo.

“Your Honor, it is the more than 50 Lakas members who belong to the majority,” Gonzales responded.

Lagman later told reporters that his bloc is considering bringing the issue to the Supreme Court.

With the Senate and House contingents now formed, the CA could soon start hearings on Cabinet appointments.

The House also elected its members in the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) and nine more committee chairmen to complete the organization of its committees.

Elected HRET members were Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro City, Franklin Bautista of Davao del Sur, Joselito Mendoza of Bulacan, Justin Marc Chipeco of Laguna, and Maria Theresa Bonoan-David of Manila. Three Supreme Court justices sit in the tribunal.

Joseph Emilio Abaya of Cavite was named chairman of the committee on appropriations; Isidro Rodriguez Jr. of Rizal, Southern Tagalog development; Jesus Sacdalan of Cotabato, peace and reconciliation; Rachel Arenas of Pangasinan, East Asia growth area; Rogelio Espina of Biliran, population; Erico Aumentado of Bohol, ethics; Benjamin Asilo of Manila, people’s participation; Jeffrey Ferrer of Negros Occidental, land use; and Teodoro Casiño of Bayan Muna, small business and entrepreneurship development.

At the Senate, meanwhile, CA members from the majority were majority leader Vicente Sotto III, senators Franklin Drilon, Ralph Recto, Francis Escudero, Sergio Osmeña III, Gregorio Honasan, Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, Ramon Revilla Jr., Edgardo Angara and Miriam Defensor-Santiago. –-Jess Diaz (The Philippine Star) with Christina Mendez