The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
By Luis Leoncio
Get more professionals and fewer politicians.
This is the unsolicited advice of former National Treasurer Leonor Magtolis Briones to incoming President Duterte as he prepares to form his official government team.
Noting that some 6,000 positions needed to be filled up in government bureaucracy, Briones said the new President’s choices would spell either the success or failure of his new administration.
“The Cabinet appointees are expected to be professionals who are experts in the assigned tasks of their respective departments. They should also be prepared to implement the law and protect the Constitution,” she said. “Cabinet officials are charged with the difficult task of implementing policies and programs of the government. They are tasked with actual delivery of services. It would also be helpful if their respective constituencies accept them. It must be recognized that the Commission on Appointments would have the final say in their appointments,” she added.
Among those announced to be part of the Duterte Cabinet are lawyer Salvador Medialdea, as executive secretary; lawyer Salvador Panelo, as presidential spokesman; former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Perfecto Yasay Jr., as foreign secretary; lawyer Vitaliano Aguirre II, as justice secretary; former Clark Development Corp. President Arthur Tugade, as transportation secretary; former North Cotabato Gov. Manuel Piñol, as agriculture secretary; Lyceum of the Philippines-Batangas President Peter Laurel, as education secretary; Las Piñas City Rep. Mark Villar, as public works secretary; former Agriculture Secretary Carlos Dominguez III, as finance secretary; and former Press Secretary Jesus Dureza, as presidential adviser on the peace process, to be assisted by former peace negotiator Silvestre Bello III, who is also a former justice secretary.
Duterte has offered the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
CPP founder Jose Maria Sison said the party “shall consider seriously [Duterte’s] offer and will do everything possible to help him make the best possible appointments.”
Gilbert Teodoro, former defense secretary during the Arroyo administration, said he was offered the same post, but that he has yet to decide.
Duterte is also considering former Rep. Andrea Domingo as head of Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor). Domingo is a former chief of the Bureau of Immigration. A late report said the incoming President also wants former Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) General Manager Alfonso Cusi as energy secretary and former Justice Undersecretary Jose Calida as solicitor general. Cusi is vice chairman of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan, the new leader’s political party.
Nothing new
Asked to comment about the Cabinet offer to members of the CPP, Briones said this was nothing new.
“There have always been communists in the government, the only difference is that they do not label themselves as communists but as professionals,” said Briones, who’s also the lead convenor of Social Watch Philippines.
She urged Duterte to give priority to the forming of his economic team and the drafting of a “harmonized development plan.”
“Since the announcement of some incoming agency heads, the formation of the President’s economic team [the National Economic and Development Authority, the Department of Finance, and the Department of Budget and Management] becomes crucial in laying down the details of the eight-point economic agenda, setting macroeconomic and fiscal policies, and more important, crafting development plans and policies and the corresponding budget to effectively address socio-economic issues,” Briones said.
“The development plan would have to harmonize the objectives of the economic program, which is directed to the business sector and the social development sectors, which have been promised to the CPP-NDF [National Democratic Front],” she added.
Briones, however, noted that the outline of Duterte’s economic agenda was similar to the programs of the other presidential candidates.
“It looks like some of the present key economic policies would be carried over by the next administration,” she said.
She also said Duterte should open public discussions on fleshing out the details of the agenda for further scrutiny and dialogue.
Briones noted that, while growth for the past year surged because of election spending, it remains uncertain if this would be sustained and create a substantial impact on the poor and unemployed.
“Expecting a 6.8-percent to 7.8-percent growth this year, increased activity during election season [i.e. election year and the year preceding it] create a picture of progress and upward growth. This is brought about by election spending which generates more jobs such as in construction and campaign work, albeit temporarily,” she said.
“There is also an effect on banking and finance, with the splurge of money circulating in the economy. It should be noted that the Government Final Consumption Expenditure was at an average of 7.8 percent during full year 2015, compared to 3.3 percent in 2014. GDP [gross domestic product] growth even registered a higher rate during the fourth quarter of 2015 at 15.8 percent, and 9.9 percent for the first quarter of 2016,” she said.
“The first 100 days will be a critical reflection of President Duterte’s vision for the country and a building block of what it is to come for the next six years,” Briones added.