Sotto hopes Honasan's appointment papers for DICT post will come out on Nov. 12

Senate President Vicente Sotto III expressed hope Wednesday that the appointment papers of Senator Gregorio Honasan II as Department of Information and Communications Technology secretary would be released on November 12 when the Senate session resumes.

Sotto said they discussed the matter in a meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, former Special Assistant to the President Bong Go, Senators Panfilo Lacson, Honasan, and him on October 29.

“Last Oct. 29, we had a meeting with the President, Sen. Lacson, Honasan, with ES and SAP. It was discussed. Napag-usapan 'yun na kung pwede Nov. 12 na si Greg. I hope hindi ko pinangungunahan ang Palasyo o si Greg pero napag-usapan talaga ito,” he said during the Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum.

He said this is to avoid an ad interim appointment which would force Honasan to resign from the Senate.

“Napag-usapan lang naman kasi si Greg na para hindi ad interim, para nomination. In other words, kapag na-confirm siya at nag-oath siya saka na lang siya mag-resign. When we resume next week he would still be in the Senate,” he said.

Sotto is confident that Honasan will breeze through the confirmation hearing of the Commission on Appointments being a current member of the chamber.

“We have a tradition in the CA. Kapag ikaw ay former member of Senate you will be given courtesy. E siya pa na current member,” he said.

Sotto admitted that Honasan’s early exit in the Senate will affect the chamber but he said they will still get in touch with him and will even scold him if he will not do his job well.

“Kung tutuusin malaking kawalan si Senator Honasan sa amin sa Senado. You've seen how he handles his committees. Sa isang banda, hindi totally mawawala kasi lilipat siya sa executive department. Mas mabuti na rin ‘yan kesa basta mawawala siya sa 2019 pagtapos ng term niya and then 'di na namin siya makakasama,” he said.

“Pero at least sa executive department siya. Every now and then puwede namin siyang ipatawag at pagalitan namin ni Senator Lacson,” he added.

The Senate leader also said he has yet to think of a replacement for Honasan as chairman of the Committee on National Defense and the Committee on Peace, Unification, and Reconciliation.

Asset

Sotto said Honasan would be an asset in the DICT.

“He would be an asset in the DICT kasi ang malaking factor du'n ang national security, even the entry of the third telecommunications company,” he said.

Asked if Honasan’s entry would disrupt the process of picking the third telecommunications company, Sotto said he doubts it as Acting DICT Secretary Eliseo Rio would remain in the department.

“Senator Honasan is a good manager so he will not disrupt anything beneficial to the government. I don’t see any problem with that because Secretary Rio will not be going to be replaced; he is still there,” he said. —KG, GMA News