MikeLigalig.com

ABS-CBNnews.com
Posted at 08/31/2012 1:26 PM | Updated as of 08/31/2012 1:56 PM


MANILA, Philippines (UPDATE 2) - President Aquino on Friday appointed Transportation Secretary Mar Roxas as the new chief of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Roxas, 55, an economist and president of the Liberal Party (LP), will take over the position vacated by the late DILG chief Jesse Robredo who died in a plane crash last August 18.

Speaking to reporters, Aquino said Roxas was on top of a short list of candidates as Robredo's replacement even before they had confirmed that he had died in the crash.

"When Secretary Robredo was missing, we had to entertain the possibility [of a replacement]. I told Mar that he was first on my shortlist in case we had to replace Jesse," the President said.

"Hindi naman pwedeng patagalin ang pagtakbo ng gobyerno. Kailangan siguraduhin natin yung functions na hindi nagawa ng naitalaga ay ipasa na kaagad sa isang tao na magpapatuloy sa magandang naumpisahan ni Jesse," he added.

Asked if Roxas' appointment was a political move in preparation for the 2013 and 2016 elections, Aquino said he appointed Roxas because he knows that he can do the job.

"If I appoint an alter ego that cant do the work, then I will have to do the work myself. I will have to appoint someone because I have full trust in him and it will lessen the number of things that i must pay attention to every day," he said.

Aquino also appointed Liberal Party colleague Cavite Rep. Joseph Emilio Abaya as the new secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC). Abaya is the secretary-general of the LP.

A Philippine Star report earlier quoted sources as saying the President wants Roxas to take over Robredo’s post because the DOTC chief has the capability and integrity to continue the reforms in the DILG.

Like Robredo, Roxas has never been involved in anomalies, sources told the newspaper.

“It’s easy to make money in DOTC,” one of the sources said.

They said Abaya was “like-minded” and could be trusted to carry out reforms.

“We need someone with integrity. Jun (Abaya) has the credentials, even on the technical aspect. Honest people who will push for reforms, (we need people) on the same page,” one of the sources said.  Abaya is an engineer.

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my two-cents' worth (or no worth at all):

come on, makabayan.  if your party were in the place of the liberal party, you would have done the same--- appoint your own party mates to crucial government positions.

it's true about roxas.  he has no record of corruption.  he didn't make it as vice-president (despite protests) because binay's political one-upmanship is not to be sneezed at.  besides, korina sanchez is his political bugbear.  many absentee voters in the middle east opted for binay because they didn't like korina sanchez.  i felt the same way. 

more than her known arrogance and trouble-making ability, that crying because her husband had to take second place instead of the first in the liberal party slate (which would have made her a first lady), was one of the worst off-putting instances last pre-election time.  well, she didn't even make it as second lady.  hey, caesar's wife should be beyond reproach...

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