RODANTE D. MARCOLETA

Mas nakikita kita rito, Mr. President.  

Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, the good diplomatic relations between the Philippines and Japan has resulted in extensive work in development cooperation and a broad range of areas including infrastructure, energy, maritime security, disaster management, agriculture, health, education, and peace and development in Mindanao.  By far, Japan has been and continuously one of the biggest supporters of the country and with such precedent, the forging of even stronger ties in the face of the current global, social, political climate, cannot be over emphasized.  

Mr. President, sending an Ambassador to Japan in the person of Atty. Mylene Garcia-Albano is a testament to the ever growing relations between the two countries.  Mylene Garcia-Albano is a double bred probinsyana and daughter of the late Cong. Manuel “Nonoy” Garcia and Erlinda De Joya.  At an early age, Mylene already learned and practiced how to be of service to others and always ready to be counted when things get rough.  A consistent honor student since grade school.  She and her cousins were sent to Manila and lived as internas while completing their high school.  She went to the United States to finish her college education.  Choosing to follow her father’s footsteps, Mylene went to law school and by now, we already know that she was third placer in the 1990 bar examinations and became pride of Ateneo de Manila University or a law school for being the only female who landed in the top ten for that year.  She was also the first female student ever elected President of her school’s student government. After a fulfilling private practice and short stint in several government agencies, Mylene ran for Congress representing the 2nd District of Davao City. 

I was fortunate to have worked with her, Mr. President, during the 15th and 17th Congresses. Again, she was the first woman ever to serve her district in that capacity.

Mr. President, I will venture to say without fear of contradiction - after having survived thirty-four (34) years of marriage, and more than that, Mr. President, after taming and domesticating her naughty, restless, flamboyant, rambunctious, exuberant Governor of Isabela, I think that is already a feat in itself, Mr. President.  A solid testimony that Mylene Albano-Garcia has already mustered the intricate art of diplomacy. 

Having said that, Mr. President, I will lend this voice to second the nomination of Ms. Mylene Albano-Garcia’s being Ambassador to Japan. 

Salamat po, Mr. President.

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.  

Good afternoon to everyone, with special mention to Sen. Jinggoy Estrada.

It is said that the road to success is always under construction.  This passage puts into perspective the pivotal role that the Department of Public Works and Highways plays in paving the road for our country’s growth and development to reach new heights.  But this must start from the exigency of appointing a capable and experienced leader at its helm.

Honorable Chair and distinguished Members of the Commission on Appointments, it is my honor to sponsor the confirmation of the ad interim appointment of Mr. Manuel Manligas Bonoan as Secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways.

Known as “Manny” to his family, friends and colleagues, this gentleman born in Solsona, Ilocos Norte, is a true blooded public servant with four (4) decades in government service, particularly in this Department in which he served with utmost dedication and commitment.

He started his career in 1966 as a Civil Engineering Aide in the Bureau of Public Highways, in the then Department of Public Works, Transportation and Communications, and eventually becoming a Registered Civil Engineer in January of 1968, after obtaining his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering at the Mapua Institute of Technology in 1967.  He furthered his studies with a Graduate Diploma in Highway Engineering at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, in 1976.  He rose from the ranks to handle various significant positions in the Department of Public Works and Highways until he retired as Senior Undersecretary in June 2010 after serving the DPWH for forty-four (44) years.  I can safely say without fear of contradiction, Mr. Chair, that Secretary Manny is the only “homegrown” among the present crop of cabinet members.

He has personally experienced the ups and downs of the country’s infrastructure industry, working in various capacities, in successful completion of several high impact projects.  He is acknowledged for his technical preparedness and expertise in public works, and is described as the main anchor for the successful implementation of public works projects particularly foreign assisted projects including JICA, UNDP and Asian Development Bank.

Characterized as an amiable, mild-mannered, principled and highly accomplished individual, he is well-regarded for his modest and unassuming persona, and known for being enormously proud of his Ilocano heritage and roots.

He joined the private sector in 2011 after his retirement from government service as Consultant-Adviser to the Infrastructure Sector of the San Miguel Corporation and, thereafter, as the conglomerate’s President and CEO for Skyway Operations and Maintenance Corporations.

He had to make a great sacrifice by giving up his lucrative job in the private sector, with many sources expressing the belief that he accepted the post to be able to leave a lasting legacy for the country, by helping the President succeed in his public works agenda, when he accepted the appointment to be the 40th Secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways for which he was reported to be the first and the only choice of the President.

His appointment as DPWH Secretary was warmly welcomed by the employees and officers of the Department in view of his long-established reputation for competence, fitness and integrity. He is well respected in the Department for being an insider who rose from the ranks and acquired vast experience, mastering the nuances in the execution of public work projects. The DPWH-Central Office Employees Union, representing more or less 4,000 plantilla employees of the DPWH-Central Office, issued Resolution No. 2022-13, dated September 12, 2022, manifesting their full and unequivocal support to his confirmation as DPWH Secretary, citing his competence, hard works and experiences and for being a self-made man and an effective and efficient public servant.

He is admired by his staffs for possessing a photographic memory and for his meticulous nature as well as attention to details, finding time to read all documents and is known for his being particularly strict on the observance of the rules of English grammar, and he is also noted for consistently exuding a pleasant demeanor, not known to lose his cool or scold erring employees. He is likewise well-regarded for his fairness in both professional and personal dealings with others.

In his appointment to the top post of the DPWH, he vowed to look closely into possible corrupt practices within the Department, as well as to continue the projects under the "Build, Build, Build" program of the previous administration to sustain the country's economic growth.

In this time of uncertainty brought about by the pandemic, we need a steady hand at the helm of this Department, which is a catalyst in sustaining the growth and development potentials of the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.  

I am confident, Mr. Chair, that Secretary Manny’s vast experience in public works and his technical expertise honed over time, the department is and will be in good hands.  It is thus, my privilege to recommend to this honorable Body to give its consent to the confirmation of the ad interim appointment of Mr. Manuel Manligas Bonoan as Secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways.

 I so move, Mr. Chair.

Honorable Chair, distinguished Members of this Commision, it is my honor to second the confirmation of the ad interim appointment of Rexlon Ting Gatchalian as Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development.  

I have known Secretary Gatchalian as a person whose life has been dedicated to public service.  I witnessed firsthand his unwavering commitment in improving the lives of our people.  He is intelligent, humble, highly organized and treats most aspects of his life with care and attention to details.  He is a disciplined and principled individual as indicated by the number of merit awards he has received throughout his sixteen (16) years in government service.

Secretary Gatchalian, Mr. Chair, first entered the House of Representatives  during the 14th Congress in 2007 as a very promising young legislator and was in fact one of the youngest legislators at the time.  But despite being a neophyte back then, he already showed his dedication and know-how in policy making and has authored and co-authored numerous bills that protect the welfare and well-being of our people.

Rex, as I fondly call him, is a person of sense and action.  His stint as Mayor has transformed Valenzuela into a city that is livable and cares for its people.  His platform in Valenzuela focuses on education, social protection, health, housing, job generation and trade.  These are the concrete and essential needs of the people that he addressed during his term. Enumerating the list of his achievements will literally take hours.

Today, Valenzuela is known for its safe bike lanes, safe public spaces, established disaster preparedness and response mechanisms, transparent and efficient governance, and most recently, their swift and comprehensive actions for the covid-19 pandemic. I remember, Valenzuela was the first local government which conducted targeted mass testing for its constituents as early as April 11, 2020.  In the same year, they also began their contact tracing applications through QR codes.  The pandemic proved to be a great indicator of a good and efficient public servant, and Secretary Gatchalian definitely delivered.

When I first learned of his appointment as Secretary of the DSWD, there was no doubt in my mind that he will do well in fulfilling the mandates of his office. Sa gobyerno, lalo na sa executive department, hindi lang puso ang kailangan, mahalaga ang technical na kaalaman sa pagpapatakbo at pagpapaganda ng mga programa para sa maayos at mabilis na paglilingkod at pagsisilbi sa mga kababayan nating nangangailangan. 

Secretary Gatchalian has earned a reputation of being a straight-forward, professional, decisive, and rational public official. He is a public servant who sees the importance of partnership and consensus building to solve the problems of the country. He understands the need of working with development partners, non-government organizations, and even with foreign governments, in forging strong and outcome-driven partnerships geared towards human development and poverty reduction. Rex is a person with a big heart and a big brain to solve problems and respond to the challenges of the department. He is a person with a vision rooted in the tangible realities of the Filipino people. 

As a testament to his outstanding character, he was recently adopted as a son of lfugao Province and was conferred the native name "AMTALAW," which represents a man of strong and fine character; full of wisdom, loving, caring, generous, a hero, and a wealthy respected figure in Ifugao Mythology.

Having Rex in the executive department and as Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development will mean progress not only in social welfare and social protection, but also in how we think and do governance.  By the way, Mr. Chair, talking about how we think and do governance, sana Secretary Rex wag ka na masyadong pihikan para magka-girlfriend ka na. 

Mr. Chair, it is thus my privilege to recommend that this august Body confirms the ad interim appointment of Mr. Rexlon Ting Gatchalian as Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, so he can continue executing his vision for the department of giving poor Filipino families a fighting chance to escape the intergenerational cycle and multidimensional aspect of poverty.

Maraming salamat po.