By Mario Casayuran
Before going on a three-month election recess which starts today, the bicameral Commission on Appointments (CA) confirmed yesterday the appointments of two members of the Duterte Cabinet.
Commission on Appointments logo (Wikipedia/ Manila Bulletin)
Confirmed were Rolando Joselito Delizo Bautista as Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) secretary, and Eduardo Manahan Ano as Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) secretary.
After talking to Bautista outside of the hearing room, San Juan Rep. Ronaldo B. Zamora, concurrent CA vice chairman, led his 12-member House contingent in throwing their support for the confirmation of Bautista’s appointment.
Zamora described Bautista, a Philippine Army (PA) chief, as a professional.
Ano, former chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), also answered the questions of CA members on the current peace and order situation of the country, particularly details of the Marawi siege.
The CA, likewise, confirmed the appointments of 43 ranking AFP general/flag and senior officers led by two Lieutenant Generals.
The CA also confirmed the appointments of five Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) ambassadors.
The appointment of Aileen Lourdes Abella Lizada as commissioner of the Civil Service Commission (CSC) was also confirmed.
Confirmed as Lieut. Generals were Ronnie S. Evangelista and Macairog S. Alberto while the Major Generals were Samuel G. Gotico, Felipe B. Bejar, Erwin Bernard L. Neri, Ramiro Manuel A. Rey, Pablo M. Lorenzo, Byron H. Calimag, Jesus S. Sarsagat, and Jose C. Faustino Jr.
Ramon Sevilla Bagatsing was confirmed as Chief of Mission, Class I, as Philippine Ambassador to India and Nepal.
Others confirmed were: Moe Albano Wong as Philippine Ambassador to South Korea; Noel Eugene Eusebio Mejica Servigon as Philippine Ambassador ro Chile, Ecuador and Peru and Christopher Baltazar Montero as Philippine Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam.
Last week, the CA confirmed the appointments of the following: Raul Salavaria Hernandez, a former DFA spokesman, as Philippine Ambassador to Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan; Leah Basinang-Ruiz, as Ambassador to Poland, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania; Alex Garcia Chua, as Ambassador to Kenya, Burundi, Comoros, Malawi, Rwanda, Sychelles, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, South Sudan and as Permanent Representative to the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and United Nations Human Settlements Program (UN-HABITAT; Ma. Theresa B. Dizon-de Vega, as Philippine Ambassador to Germany; Jesus Santos Domingo, as Philippine Ambassador to New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, and Leo M. Herrera-Lim as Philippine Ambassador to Denmark.