CA confirms Lotilla as envoy to Vatican, 3 other DFA officials

The Commission on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday confirmed the nomination of former Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Raphael Lotilla as the new ambassador to Vatican City.

Lotilla will serve as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Holy See with concurrent jurisdiction over the Sovereign Order of Malta, with the salary and emoluments of Chief of Mission, Class I.

The confirmation was recommended during the meeting of the CA Committee on Foreign Affairs and approved during the plenary session.

Lotilla served as secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources from June 2025 to February 2026. He also served as secretary of the Department of Energy from 2005 to 2007 and from 2022 to 2025. 

During the committee hearing, Senator Risa Hontiveros asked Lotilla about his suggestion to ease the impact of rising fuel prices amid the US-Israel conflict with Iran. 

“I fully agree with what the government is trying to do now, which is to try to make sure that the increase is spread out,” Lotilla said.

“The impact of a sudden increase may not be something that ordinary people will be able to absorb. Eventually, this has to be recovered through prices, but at least there is a gradual adjustment on the part of our people,” he added.

According to him, high fuel prices could accelerate the country’s transition to renewable energy and electric vehicles.

“In the long term, I think this will encourage resort to the use of renewable energy and electric vehicles, and our efforts to hasten the transition to renewable sources that are found in the Philippines itself will increase our energy security and therefore will be advantageous to all of us,” he said.

“One of the constraints before was that, relative to petroleum products, the renewable energy and batteries are more costly, or even electric vehicles. But now the prices have gone down, and the prices of fossil fuels are on the increase. Then the adjustment will be better understood by our people,” he added.

The panel also tackled the ad interim appointments of three other DFA officials: Christian Luna de Jesus as Chief of Mission, Class II; Anthony Achilles Mandap as Chief of Mission, Class II; and Judy Barbara Robianes as Career Minister.

Robianes addressed a question regarding an increase in her net worth of over P6 million. She said it was an error, as she committed to submitting the corrected figures to the commission.

“I have already looked at it. And I believe there was a very small error. It's a small error but also represents a very large amount. The first entry is incorrect. I'm afraid. Also, it changed the total number,” she said.

“I take full responsibility for this error, and I thank the Commission for pointing it out, and I wish to take steps to rectify this,” she added.

Robianes also said that she is now recovering after a recent spine surgery.

"I am doing much better," she said. "We're hoping for a good progress on my mobility issues." — VBL, GMA Integrated News