NEWLY appointed Finance Secretary Ralph Recto leads the list of 171 presidential appointees awaiting confirmation hearings after Congress resumes session on Jan. 22.
Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it awaits the decision of the House of Representatives on whether or not to hold a special election for the sixth legislative district of Batangas province.
Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel of Surigao del Sur, a member of the House delegation in the Commission on Appointments (CA), said the panel has received the appointment papers of Recto, along with those of two ambassadors, and 168 senior military officers.
“Based on CA records, Flerida Ann Camille Mayo was named Philippine ambassador to Cambodia while Edgar Tomas Auxilian was nominated Philippine ambassador to Papua New Guinea with concurrent jurisdiction over Kiribati and Solomon Islands,” Pimentel said.
He also said the latest batch of senior military officers awaiting their confirmation hearings was led by four Philippine Army major generals: Leodevic Guinid, Allan Hambala, Edmund Peralta, and Ramon Zagala II.
“We also have 13 brigadier generals from the Philippine Army, three commodores from the Philippine Navy and 148 colonels from the Philippine Army and the Philippine Air Force pending confirmation,” Pimentel said.
The Mindanao lawmaker urged the public to submit to the CA Secretariat any information, written report, or sworn/notarized complaints or oppositions to the appointees.
The Constitution empowers the 25-member CA to scrutinize the competence, fitness and integrity of key presidential appointees, and to approve or disapprove them.
Comelec chairman George Erwin Garcia said it depends on the House of Representatives if they will call for special election for the sixth legislative district of Batangas which was vacated with Recto’s appointment as finance secretary. Recto replaced Benjamin Diokno, who was named a member of the Monetary Board of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.
“There is none so far, likely because Congress has not yet resumed session,” Garcia said in an interview.
Based on legislative rules, the House of Representatives must first issue a certificate of permanent vacancy and a resolution before a special election can be held.
The CA is composed of 12 members each from the House of Representatives and the Senate, with the Senate President as ex officio presiding officer.
