SAGIP Party-list Rep. Rodante Marcoleta has admitted to being blown away by the background checking prowess of the people behind the Commission on Appointments (CA), which he is a member of.
"Mayroon kaming isang section na talagang napakahusay talagang maghagilap ng lahat ng impormasyon tungkol sayo (We have a section in the CA that's really adept in searching for information about you)," Marcoleta said in an interview with broadcaster Anthony Taberna last week.
"Siguro sa tagal ng panahon ay na-perpek na nila siguro at nakapag-establish na sila ng kani-kanilang kuneksyon sa bawat bahagi ng ating pamahalaan (They've probably perfected it through time and probably established their respective connections in different parts of the government)," he said.
Marcoleta noted that the CA has been around since 1987, or when the existing Constitution was formed.
The outspoken congressman made these remarks about the CA in the aftermath of reports that very personal details of Department of Social Welfare Development (DSWD) Secretary Erwin Tulfo’s life were brought up during the latter's confirmation hearing.
Malacañang's appointment of Tulfo to his post has yet to be confirmed by the 25-member CA, which is composed of solons from the House and Senate.
"Maski naman ako ay medyo napapahanga rin sa kanila. Kung saan-saan nila pinagkukuha ang lahat ng mga ito eh. Bahala na lang kami kung itatanong namin o hindi (Even I've been impressed by them. They can get information from wherever. It's up to us whether or not we'll bring it up during the hearings)," Marcoleta said.
"Pero sinasabi namin sa kanila kapag ba ito ay nailagay dito sa report na ito eh nangangahulugan ba na ito'y vinalidate ba niyo ito? Talaga bang nirepaso ninyo ito? Baka naman ang 80 percent nito'y puro galing kay Marites naman? (But we still ask them, if this is included in the report, does this mean that it's been validated? Did you really review this? Wasn't 80 percent of this given by Marites?)" he shared.
To this, Marcoleta said the CA background checkers always assure the solons that the information they give them have "100 percent basis".
Marcoleta said the CA is part of the "checks and balances" against the President’s power to appoint officials, like members of the Cabinet.
It was reportedly brought up by CA members during Tulfo’s confirmation hearing that he once served in the United States (US) Army, was convicted of libel, and had fathered 10 children from four different women.