JOEL MAYO Z. ALMARIO

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.  Fellow Members of the Commission, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.

When President Rodrigo Roa Duterte announced at the start of his administration that he was offering the leadership of some government departments to the so-called “left”, the National Democratic Front nominated Judy Marigomen Taguiwalo as Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.  Rather than enjoy her retirement from the University of the Philippines, Judy Taguiwalo accepted the nomination of the NDF and the appointment of the President to be the Secretary of the mammoth agency that is the DSWD.

In her younger days, Secretary Taguiwalo immersed among workers and farmers, started her career in the parliament of the streets as a full-time organizer, and in 1969 became a member of the Samahang Demokratikong Kabataan, a radical youth organization. She moved on to be one of the pillars of the Makabayang Kilusan ng Bagong Kababaihan or MAKIBAKA.  She went underground following the declaration of martial law with all the twists and turns of guerilla warfare until she was captured by authorities in Iloilo in July 1973, escaped detention at Fort Bonifacio in November 1974, rearrested in Angeles, Pampanga in January of 1984, and finally released in 1986.

Judy Taguiwalo pursued further studies and finished her Master’s in Public Administration in Canada in 1992 and subsequently earned her doctorate degree at the University of the Philippines, and eventually joined the U.P. academe where she held various high level positions until her retirement on July 31, 2015.

Before her current appointment, Mr. Chairman, Judy Marigomen Taguiwalo has been issued five (5) previous ad interim appointments as Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development - on June 30, 2016, on October 20, 2016, and then December 15, 2016, followed by March 17, 2017, and on June 1, 2017.  Accordingly, these were submitted to the Commission on Appointments for confirmation but the same were bypassed.  Her current and 6th ad interim appointment was issued last July 23, 2017 and was received by this Commission on August 7, 2017.

Article VI, Section 18 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution provides “The Commission shall act on all appointments submitted to it within thirty session days of the Congress from their submission.”

As mandated by the highest law of the land, the Commission acted on the appointment of Secretary Taguiwalo and the Committee on Labor, Employment, and Social Welfare looked into all angles of her background, character, and persuasions - to make certain that the general will is reposed on her, in real truth and solid fact.  Taking into consideration the best interests of the people, the Committee took the arduous task of prying through the prism of scrutiny the many issues surrounding her ad interim appointment to validate and test her integrity, fitness and competence to the position.

In all the committee hearings held for Secretary Taguiwalo, concerns were raised and questions were asked of her.  On the other hand, as representatives of the body politic, we in the Committee performed our painstaking mandate to strike the exact checks and balances on her as a presidential appointee, exercising due diligence to channel through informed deliberations matters affecting the Department of Social Welfare and Development - whether or not the appointee suits the position.

Our position, Mr. Chairman, my dear colleagues, is no easy task and our role is sacred.  The last sentence of Article VI, Section 18 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution provides:  “The Commission shall rule by a majority vote of all the members.”  The Committee has concluded a votation and has reached the requirement of a majority vote against the confirmation.

I stand before this august Chamber as your Chairman of your Committee on Labor, Employment and Social Welfare to move for the Commission on Appointments to reject the ad interim appointment of Judy Marigomen Taguiwalo as Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

I so move, Mr. Chairman.

Mr. Chairman, fellow members of the Commission, guests, good afternoon.

Among all the Constitutional Commissions, I dare say that the Commission on Elections or COMELEC is the most heavily watched, dissected, criticized and frequently subjected to controversy by the Filipinos. Being charged with the responsibility of protecting the voice of the people and their votes, the COMELEC, rightfully or not, is often accused of irregularities and incompetence. This makes the job of today’s appointee, Commissioner Abas, a herculean task filled with what I know will be challenges. However, Mr. Chair, I am very confident that Commissioner Abas has an equally herculean strength and courage to face his duties. I am not talking about his age, as we all know he has not yet reached his 40s, an age most of us here have already long forgotten, nor  he’s  very much of a  sick  but rather extraordinary bravery to accept heading the COMELEC and turnaround the reputation of an organization that has suffered controversy after controversy.

As a fellow Atenean, I believe that Commissioner Abas was trained by the Jesuits to understand the rule of law and taught to be a man for others will make a big difference for the COMELEC. I believe that more than his prior work experiences, more than his Muslim blood, more than his age, it is his heart and strength that will make him one of the best chairpersons the COMELEC have ever seen.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

Mr. Chairman, fellow members of the Commission, guests, good afternoon.

Baka ito na ho 'yung huling speech ko dito sa CA, kaya pagbigyan n'yo po ako’t lulubusin ko na ng todo ito, 30 minutes.  Joke lang!

As a member of the Commission on Appointments, Mr. Chairman, I believe this Body is the most prestigious and most sacred, but I also believe that the Commission on Elections or COMELEC is the most demanding and arguably the most important.  Charged with the responsibility of protecting the voice of the people and their votes, the COMELEC is the best guardian of our country's democracy.  However, it is also the most heavily watched, dissected and criticized by the Filipinos.  As I have said before, the COMELEC, rightfully or not, is often accused of irregularities and incompetence that is why being a part of it frequently becomes a thankless job.  It is a herculean task filled with so many challenges with criticisms after criticisms hurled at its officers continuously.

However, Mr. Chairman, I am very confident that Commissioner Casquejo has the strength and courage to face his duties.  He has the quiet dignity to keep working and the confidence to brush off criticisms.  The COMELEC needs this kind of strength.  It takes extraordinary bravery to accept the task of being one of the COMELEC Commissioners and to turn around the reputation of an organization that has suffered controversy after controversy.

Malapit na uli ang elections, kayang kaya 'yan ni Commissioner.  Ayusin n'yo po ang eleksyon para walang dayaan.  I know Commissioner Casquejo will use this power now being bestowed upon him by this Commission to safeguard and protect the will of the people.  The voice of one ordinary Filipino may seem meek, but their voices combined is a strong and powerful one.  Just like the combined voices of the 16 million who elected our President, put into action the wheels of change, it is their votes that can make or break this nation.  Please make sure, Commissioner, that from the tip of Aparri to the other end of Jolo, the votes of the people are kept safe.

As a fellow Atenean, I believe that Commissioner Casquejo, equipped by the Jesuits with an understanding of the rule of law and taught to be a man for others, will use these very standards to make a difference in the COMELEC.  I believe that more than his prior work experience, more than his being a Davaoeño, it is his heart and strength that will make him succeed in becoming an effective COMELEC Commissioner, giving justice to the vote of confidence this Commission on Appointments is giving him.

With that, Mr. Chairman, I hereby second the motion for the confirmation of the ad interim appointment of Atty. Marlon Casquejo, as Commissioner of the Commission on Elections.

Thank you.