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Miriam to block confirmation of Mar's nomination as DILG chief

KIMBERLY JANE TAN, GMA NewsSeptember 18, 2012 11:30am

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago on Tuesday said she will formally block the confirmation of Mar Roxas' nomination as secretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

"Out of deference, I have to inform you that at the CA plenary session this Wednesday at 1:00 p.m., I intend to veto the confirmation of Sec. Manuel A. Roxas II," Santiago said in a letter addressed to Senate Majority Floor Leader Vicente Sotto III on Tuesday.

Sotto is the chairperson of the Commission on Appointments interior and local government committee, the panel handling the nomination of Roxas as DILG chief.

Santiago quickly stressed, however, that she has "nothing personal" against Roxas and that she actually considers him "more than qualified in honesty, competence, and efficiency."

"However, I have announced that I shall oppose the confirmation of any Cabinet member whom I invited to the Rico Puno hearing, held on September 14, 2012, but who all declined to appear," she said.

"In so doing, I wish to stand by the principle of checks and balances between the executive and legislative branches of government," she added.

Santiago also said that "this applies to all the Cabinet members concerned."

As of posting time, GMA News Online was still trying to reach Roxas.

On Sunday, Santiago had already said that she may block or delay the confirmation of Cabinet members who snubbed the hearing she initiated against resigned Interior Undersecretary Rico Puno last Friday.

The Cabinet officials who were invited to the hearing but did not show up include Roxas, Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., Environment Sec. Ramon Paje and Justice Sec. Leila de Lima. Paje and de Lima have also yet to be confirmed.

Santiago said she can invoke Section 20 of the rules of the CA, which she said allows her to singlehandedly veto the confirmation of an appointee.

Section 20 reads: "Any member may move for the suspension of action by the Commission on any nomination or appointment favorably recommended by a standing committee and the Chairman shall suspend the consideration of said nomination or appointment: Provided, that, such suspension may be taken up on the next succeeding session of the Commission; Provided, further, that this section shall not apply to nominations or appointments taken up by the Commission during the last session prior to a sine die adjournment of Congress."

The CA is composed of the Senate president as its head and 12 senators and 12 congressmen as its members.

However, Sotto already said they will continue with Roxas' confirmation hearing and recommendation.

Not the first time

Santiago has twice threatened to invoke Section 20 of the CA rules to block the confirmation of a Cabinet appointee.

Last year, she opposed the confirmation of the appointment of Health Secretary Enrique Ona, saying she was "bothered" by his position on the Health Department's policy on kidney transplants.

But she eventually withdrew her objection after Ona wrote her a letter saying that he has no plans of revising the DOH's existing administrative orders prohibiting kidney transplants between non-related donors.

Aside from Ona, Santiago also threated to use the same CA rule against Education Secretary Armin Luistro supposedly because of his "conflicting interests, gross ignorance of the law, and political deafness."

She also threatened to "massacre" more "lightweight" Cabinet members when they face the CA.

Later on, however, Santiago withdrew her objection of Luistro's nomination and said that she will heed the advice of the Dalai Lama to "observe compassion" in deciding whether to invoke her "one-person veto" during the confirmation proceedings of certain Cabinet members. — VVP/RSJ, GMA News

Tags: Mar Roxas