Commission on appointments confirms position of four Cabinet members and five envoys but defers DOH secretary’s confirmation.
The Commission on Appointments deferred the interim appointment of Dr. Paulyn Jean B. Rossell-Ubial as secretary of the Department of Health due to the reservation made by Rep. Harry Roque during the plenary session.
However, without opposition, the CA, a powerful body, confirmed the interim appointment of four members of the Cabinet of the administration and five newly appointed ambassador.
During the plenary on Wednesday, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III, chairman of the CA, approved the nomination on the confirmation of the interim appointments of the following officials:
- Ernesto Pernia as Director-General of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)
- Fortunato Dela Peña as secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST)
- Wanda Corazon Tulfo-Teo as secretary of the Department of Tourism (DOT)
- Rodolfo A. Salalima as secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT)
- James T. Lao as ambassador to Brunei Darussalam
- Jose C. Laurel V as ambassador to Japan
- Uriel Norman Robles Garibay as ambassador to Republic of Kenya and as Permanent Representative to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)
- Jose Santiago L. Sta. Romana as ambassador to the People’s Republic of China with jurisdiction over Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
- Shirley Ho-Vicario as ambassador to Federal Republic of Nigeria
The confirmation held at the Senate session hall was first presided by Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III and later by San Juan Rep. Ronaldo B. Zamora, CA vice chairman.
Senate and CA Minority Leader Ralph G. Recto, extended all praises for Secretary Pernia whom according to the senator, the secretary is as “no more qualified person to draft the (Philippine economic) roadmap than the esteemed Dr. Pernia, a first rate-rate intellectual and a patriot first-class.’’