Scrutiny of appointees just natural, Enrile says

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile on Tuesday said it was just natural for the Commission on Appointments (CA) to scrutinize appointees to make sure that they are worthy of the position given to them.

"Hindi naman sa deliberately pinapahirapan (We're not deliberately making it hard for them to be confirmed)," said Enrile, who, as head of the Senate, automatically becomes the chairman of the powerful bicameral body.

Enrile issued the statement after President Benigno Aquino III asked the CA during his first State of the Nation Address not to make it difficult for his appointees to be confirmed.

But Enrile stressed that it's just natural for the CA to require appointees to prove their worth by showing their origins and qualifications. "Check and balance yun," he said.

The CA is composed of the Senate president as its head with 12 senators and 12 congressmen as its members. As of posting time, the membership of the appointments body has yet to be completed.

Smooth sailing?

But if the pronouncements of two former CA members are to be believed, the appointees of President Aquino could be headed for smooth sailing.

For one, Senate Pro Tempore Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada said the Aquino appointees won't have to worry about being rejected by the CA.

"As courtesy to the new President, I think walang mahihirapan (they won't have a hard time passing the CA)... that's my opinion," Estrada told GMANews.TV in a phone interview early Tuesday.

He likewise said that many people believe in the President's choice of officials. "Let them prove their worth," he said.

For his part, Senator Francis Pangilinan said the country will benefit from a "smooth" proceeding of the appointees' confirmation.

"The nation will benefit from an aggressive delivery of their respective departments services to our people without the sword of damocles' of a CA rejection hanging over their heads," Pangilinan told GMANews.TV in a text message on Tuesday.

No appointment papers, opposition yet

According to the CA Office of the Secretary, no opposition to the President's appointments have been forwarded to them yet. The CA Databank and Library Service likewise said that the Palace has yet to send them any appointment papers.

The commission is in charge of confirming all appointments made by the President of the Philippines, except those of the Ombudsman and Supreme Court Justices.

The commission discusses and deliberates on nominations at the standing committee level and at the plenary session. Nominations or appointments may end up being confirmed, rejected or by-passed. — RSJ/KBK, GMANews.TV


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