Sloppy
Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Gregory Ong has saved President Arroyo from further embarrassment by giving up his nomination to the Supreme Court. But the withdrawal does not save the President from questions on how she picks her officials. An appointment to the nation’s highest court requires an extensive background check on the nominee. Questions about his citizenship have long dogged Ong. Whoever vetted him for the SC post did a sloppy job.It’s unclear whether the President was aware of the questions about Ong’s citizenship but appointed him anyway, or was simply left holding the bag by inefficient staff. There is often no rhyme or reason in the way the President picks her officials. Efficiency is not a criteria, or she would not have replaced Anneli Lontoc, after the Land Transportation Office chief got ISO certification for the agency’s driver’s licensing process, with Reynaldo Berroya, whose conviction for kidnapping was overturned on a technicality. The President would not have hurriedly transferred Angelo Reyes after he did a good job fighting kidnappers, and later smugglers. Or perhaps he did too good a job? Many positions are given away as political accommodations. This is going to be evident as the posts vacated by board directors of government corporations are filled.
Even the way the President replaces officials is often messy and devoid of elementary courtesy. Hermogenes Ebdane is back in public works after handling defense during the campaign period. Romulo Neri is going to the Commission on Higher Education, and if certain officials are correct, the man he will be replacing was the last to know. Reyes, after having barely warmed his seat as environment secretary, has been transferred yet again, this time to the energy department.
Such movements betray indecisiveness by the appointing power. Then again, there could be some method in this madness. The endless game of musical chairs can keep the Commission on Appointments off-balance, with its members simply waiting for the next Cabinet reshuffle rather than asserting Congress’ oversight powers over presidential appointments. Several Cabinet members have been at their posts for over a year without bothering to get the CA’s nod.
Ong doesn’t need to go through the CA wringer, but he has been unable to hurdle the scrutiny of his peers. This embarrassment could have been avoided if Malacañang’s headhunters had done their homework.
