Newly installed Tourism Secretary Bernadette Fatima Romulo-Puyat on Tuesday breezed through the Commission on Appointment’s confirmation hearing that approved her appointment.
Upon the motion of Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri, the commission’s committee on tourism and economic development recommended Romulo-Puyat’s confirmation and Senator Cynthia Villar immediately seconded his motion.
Meanwhile, Romulo-Puyat guaranteed that the Filipinos’ contagious love for their country would make foreign visitors fall in love with the Philippines and its people as she accepted the challenge of boosting the tourism industry as a key economic driver. She made the assertion in her introductory remarks before the Commission on Appointments committee on tourism, leading to the rousing approval of her appointment at the Senate.
Romulo-Puyat’s father, former senator and current chairman of the Development Bank of the Philippines Alberto Romulo, and her elder sister Monserrat Romulo were present during the proceedings presided over by Iloilo Rep. Jerry Treñas.
Interviewed after the hearing, Romulo-Puyat said she did not expect her fast approval.
“You should have seen me in the room. I didn’t expect it. I didn’t expect that it was going to be fast,” Romulo-Puyat told reporters.
Her first order of the day? “Get back to work. Just work, work, work because we have a lot to do.”
Romulo-Puyat said President Rodrigo Duterte’s marching order to her was “No corruption.”
Commission on Elections Commissioner Socorro Inting also got the nod of the CA along with the following foreign affairs officials: Sulpicio Miguel Confiado, Chief of Mission Class II, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotnetiary to the Arab Republic of Egypt with concurrent jurisdiction over the Republic of Djibouti, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, the State of Eritrea, and the Republic of Sudan, and Akmad Atlah Sakkam, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan with concurrent jurisdiction over the State of Palestine, with the salary and emoluments of a Chief of Mission, Class I.
Meanwhile, the CA subcommittee on agrarian reform held an executive session to discuss the confirmation of Agrarian Reform Secretary John Castriciones.
After an executive session, the Senate subcommittee on agrarian reforms led by Senator Grace Poe decided to recommend to the plenary Castriciones’ appointment.
Poe said 13 members voted in favor of Castriciones during the secret ballot while two opposed.
She said the oppositions raised against Castriciones during the CA subcommittee hearings were legitimate and the official should address them.