PALACE WON'T NAME NOY'S 'CURSED' CABINET MEN
MANILA, JUNE 26, 2011 (TRIBUNE) By Aytch S. de la Cruz - Malacañang officials yesterday claimed to be "in the dark" when asked whether they had any idea as to the identities of the three Cabinet secretaries whom President Aquino publicly described in his speech last Thursday as "bearers of bad news" in his administration.
"No idea who the three Cabinet secretaries are," was deputy presidential spokesman Abigail Valte's succinct response in a text message.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda and Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Secretary Ramon Carandang were asked of the similar question but they did not respond to text messages.
Aquino engaged the public and his officials into another guessing game when he chose not to disclose the names of these secretaries, who, he claimed, were a burden to his government because they always fail to give him the good news.
Secretary Herminio "Sonny" Coloma Jr. of the Presidential Communications Operations Office, however, sounded unperturbed by Aquino's public expression of his disappointment on his communications group.
"The President said something in a similar vein when he spoke with reporters last May. It's the President's call on whom to retain in his Cabinet," said Coloma in a text message.
Coloma was presumably referring to Aquino's previous statement when he arrived to the country after his two-day ceremonial visit to Thailand, hinting to reporters that he might sack one of his underperforming secretaries whom he did not name as well anytime soon.
Thereafter, Transportation and Communications Secretary Jose "Ping" de Jesus caught the nation by surprise when he tendered his resignation effective by the end of this month but Aquino quickly denied he was the same official he was telling reporters about.
Aquino also made an announcement early this year that he was planning to give his Cabinet a minor facelift but this never happened. It was merely a case of a certain government official opting to resign, prompting the Chief Executive to make a replacement as soon as possible.
In a speech he delivered during the 113th anniversary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Aquino said he has "two or three" Cabinet officials who bring him nothing but problems. He often complains about his unnamed underperforming Cabinet secretaries but he hardly makes a decision to fire the official/s concerned.
Only DPWH Secretary Rogelio Singson, Budget and Management Secretary Florencio Abad and Science and Technology Secretary Mario Montejo were commended by Aquino for providing solutions to the country's woes whenever they set an appointment with him.
Aquino's complaints on his underperforming officials came at a time when his administration is being badgered with criticisms over his controversial kaibigan (cronies), kaklase (classmates) and kabarilan (shooting buddies) who are currently under fire owing to various allegations leveled against them.
Ironically, however, Aquino refused to sack embattled Land Transportation Office (LTO) chief Virginia Torres despite her reported public admission that her unresolved disputes with Stradcom Corp. executives may have contributed in the President's declining popularity ratings.
Torres, nevertheless, said she will not consider resignation at this point lest Aquino's government would feel "insulted" which the President practically affirmed given the way he was defending the LTO chief just recently.
Aquino told groups that are opposed of Torres' leadership at the LTO that they should give her credit for busting Stradcom's inefficient services along with other smoke emission testing centers that are shortchanging the public.
Valte, meanwhile, refused to issue further comments with respect to Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero's statement blaming the messaging unit of the Palace Communications Group for the consistent decline of Aquino's performance ratings that was reportedly shared by presidential sister, Kris Aquino.
"Secretary Lacierda has already answered the question on messaging the other day," Valte said in another text message.
Lacierda explained that the pattern of decline on the President's rating was caused, not by a faulty messaging by the communications group, but by the delay in the implementation of the government's infrastructure spending since the Aquino administration had to plug funding leakages that is causing the systemic corruption in government. PNA
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Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
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