CYNTHIA A. VILLAR

Mr. Chairman, members of the Commission on Appointments and fellow senators, I would like to add my voice to echo the confirmation of our former colleague here at the Senate, Senator Gringo Honasan as Secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

I agree with the speakers before me that there is no doubt that Secretary Honasan is qualified for the position.  And, if there are still doubts in the minds or opinions of others, we are confident that he will dispel them in no time as he carries out his duties and responsibilities at the DICT.

In his unassuming ways, Secretary Honasan will surely do so without any fanfare.  As his colleagues here, we know too well that he is not want to call attention to himself.  So, what we are doing here now must be making him ill at ease already.  But this offers all of us a very good opportunity to let people get to know more about him.  Reading about his personal and professional life, it is clear to me that he remains as real and authentic back then as he is until now.  To prove this, the description of him in his PMA Class yearbook decades ago still rings true to this day.  To quote: “Comfortably warm and constantly dynamic; has enough determination and perseverance in achieving his goals, coupled with characteristic humility and compassion for the less fortunate, have tempered all his actuations thus far.  These traits which have endeared him to both equals and subordinates will remain hallmarks of every endeavor he undertakes.”

And endeavors, more important ones, he had many.  Most of which led to the  achievements and accomplishments in a quite diverse field of endeavors - the military, legislative and executive, as well as those in between, which we can just refer to as truly “interesting and exciting” periods in his life and our country as well.  I will not dwell on that anymore, as it has been told and retold many times.

Secretary Honasan has, so far, 44 years of experience in public service, more than half of which, 24 years, as a senator, and the remaining years as a military officer.  He served four terms here in this August chamber from 1995 to early this year, during the 17th Congress.  He was chairman of various Senate committees including Energy, Labor, Environment, Defense, Public Order and Dangerous Drugs, Agrarian Reform, Sports, Public Information and Mass Media.

As one of the latest additions to the Cabinet, Secretary Honasan is backed by a wealth of experiences that justifies the vote of confidence of President Duterte himself, about his qualifications.

The DICT’s main mandate is to be “the primary policy, planning, coordinating, implementing, and administrative entity of the Executive Branch of government that will plan, develop, and promote the national ICT development agenda.”

Given his educational background, a master’s degree in management, and professional background, particularly as a public servant, Secretary Honasan can contribute greatly to the DICT.  It is also a bonus that Secretary Honasan will work alongside with his mentor in the military and predecessor to the post, DICT Undersecretary for Operations, Eliseo M. Rio, Jr., who also speaks highly of Secretary Honasan’s qualifications, particularly as an expert in information security management, a main area of discipline under the DICT.  Secretary Honasan and Rio tandem is expected to yield positive results.

Secretary Honasan’s personal values and convictions are admirable.  Outside his public persona, he is a family man who leads a quiet life with his wife Jane, five children and five grandchildren.  He obviously lives up to the ideals of his idol and inspiration, his late father Col. Romeo Honasan, whom he described as an “incorruptible soldier” who taught him and his siblings to live within their means.

On a personal note, Manny and I are glad to have been able to work with Greg here in the Senate.  We have seen him first-hand and up close his work ethics, personal integrity and quiet competence.  He harbors no ill will and hidden agenda to anyone, thus he is well regarded by almost everyone.

It is, therefore, my pleasure to endorse the confirmation of the appointment of Gregorio Honasan II as Secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology.

Thank you very much and good morning.

Mr. Chair, members of the Commission on Appointments and fellow senators, like my colleagues here at the Senate, I would like to congratulate and welcome Eduardo Del Rosario as Secretary of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD).

I echo the statement of the Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (SHDA), the major and leading organization of housing and real estate developers in the Philippines, which cited that “he can muster the support of the private sector and all stakeholders towards addressing the country’s housing needs”.

Together with all the stakeholders, with whom he has worked with in his previously held posts, I am confident too that Mr. Del Rosario will resolve or has been resolving the issues and concerns, such as the rationalization of housing permits and licenses, incentives for socialized or low cost housing developers, home financing, among others.

Of course, one of the primary tasks of DHSUD is addressing the country’s housing backlogs.  The establishment of the department is in fact anchored on that objective.  It is no secret that our family is involved in the housing industry, so we have the same goal, more or less.

Shelter is among life’s basic necessities.  So, it is no wonder that it is a cherished dream of every Filipino to one day own a house.  But owning a house is still an unrealized dream and an unmet need for the majority of Filipinos.  And DHSUD itself has been quoted that the country’s housing backlogs is six and a half million and could reach 22 million in the next two decades.

That will really keep your department busy, Mr. Del Rosario.  And I hope the housing roadmap that you are working on will close the housing gap sooner than later.  I am glad to note that DSHUD is making progress already because I heard that we are almost on target.

Providing the necessary support for the housing industry will not only help ease the backlogs and fill the gaps between supply and demand, but will also benefit the Philippine economy.  The contribution of housing to the economy is very significant on its own and through the so-called multiplier effect.  Building one house boosts production of about 80 industries. 

The housing sector is also labor-incentive. It contributes quite significantly to employment and, in effect, poverty reduction in the country.  Housing related or allied industries such as manufacturing of construction materials like cement, steel etc., also create jobs for Filipinos. 

Based on the April 2017 Labor Force Survey, workers in the construction sub sector made up the largest group of workers in the industry sector, accounting to 47.7%, that’s 8.8 million out of the 18.5 million workers in the industry sector.  Moreover, construction materials are all locally made and sourced so that again multiplies the economic gains from the housing industry. 

So, post pandemic, the housing sector and its allied industry will really help prop up the economy and support our countrymen and local businesses as they bounce back.  Having said all that, I see no person more qualified to be at the helm of the DHSUD other than Sec. Eduardo Del Rosario.  So, I wish him all the best in his new job.  

Marami pong salamat at magandang hapon sa inyong lahat. 

Mr. Chair, distinguished colleagues, ladies and gentlemen.

The right of the citizens to vote is a cornerstone of a democratic state in the Philippines.  Our national and local elections, held periodically, where we vote for the nation’s leaders, give meaning to the declaration in our Philippine Constitution that “Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them.”

The Commission on Elections is the constitutional Body established as a way of upholding the people’s exercise of sovereignty or the right to vote.  It is the premier guardian of the ballot.  For this purpose, it is paramount that we only put at its helm, persons of probity, competence and without ill-repute.  

It is in this connection, Mr. Chairman, that I rise on behalf of the Committee on Constitutional Commissions and Offices of the Commission on Appointments, to submit to this august Body for its consent, the nomination of Mr. Rey E. Bulay as Commissioner of the Commission on Elections for a term expiring on February 02, 2027.  

 Born and raised in the City of Muntinlupa, our nominee has always wished to help and be of  

service to others.  And that wish has been fulfilled throughout his life and career as a public 

servant, lawyer, and entrepreneur.  

Mr. Bulay began his professional career as a Market Analyst at the Philippine Appliance Corporation after obtaining his Bachelor of Science in Statistics degree from UP, Los Baños.

Driven by his passion to serve, he ran and won as then the youngest Councilor of Muntinlupa in 1988.  As Councilor, he sponsored ordinances that introduced the much needed reforms in the city. 

He served as such for a total of 12 years - from 1988 to 1998; and from 2007 to 2010.

In 2001, Mr. Bulay graduated from the San Beda College of Law and was admitted to the Philippine Bar in 2002.  He believed that apart from being an elected official, being a lawyer is the best avenue to pursue his advocacies and be of help to others especially those in need.

Our nominee had a near-death experience in 2001 due to idiopathic pancreatitis, where medical specialists gave him only days to live.  He triumphed over the ordeal by God’s grace and by the love and care of his family and friends.  The experience strengthened his resolve to give more meaning to his life by doing more for others. Thus, in 2005, he founded the Asian Hospital Charities Inc., a vehicle for his advocacy of providing specialized healthcare to selected poor and underprivileged patients with special medical cases and to raise health and well-being awareness by educating target communities.

Mr. Bulay had the opportunity to harness his competence in election laws and procedure when he was given the opportunity to represent gubernatorial and mayoral candidates in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) in 2006-2007.  Likewise, he represented clients in  election protest cases in 2010.  

In December 2016, he was appointed by Pres. Rodrigo Roa Duterte as Commissioner-in-Charge, Asset Management and Legal Department of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG).  During his stint, he strongly advocated for the recovery of the foreign assets of the Republic of the Philippines and became a key role in the agency’s remarkable accomplishment.

In June 2020, he was appointed anew by President Duterte as City Prosecutor of Manila, the biggest City Prosecution Office in the entire country.  As City Prosecutor, Mr. Bulay implemented stringent policies and procedures to expedite filing and resolution of cases, abolished Motion for Reconsideration and Inquest Divisions to deter backlog and corruption, established the Public Assistance Section to effectively address public queries, oversaw the construction of the prosecutor’s hall and the renovation of prosecutor’s offices.

The initiatives and efforts enabled the Office of the City Prosecutor of Manila to clinch the DOJ 2020 Best Performing City Prosecutor Office Award.  The unprecedented award came only after six (6) months of City Prosecutor Bulay’s term as Chief Prosecutor.

Just this October 2021, he was also awarded with a Certificate of Completion by the Philippine Judicial Academy (PHILJA) after successfully hurdling the first ever Pre-Judicature Program for the Appellate Courts, a rigorous assessment and training program of the Philippine Judicial Academy for experienced members of the bar and bench who desire to join appellate collegial bodies such as the Sandiganbayan, Court of Appeals, Court of Tax Appeals and Supreme Court. To him, this experience is a blessing as it confirmed his great potential in being a magistrate of a collegial body, which can be most invaluable as Commissioner of our country’s poll body.

Indeed, our nominee is a man with a particularly wide experience and skills honed by more than 40 years of exposure to various challenges in his days as a politician, legal practitioner, businessman, and public servant.  A Commissioner of his calibre is definitely what our poll body needs even with the present challenges of preparing for the upcoming 2022 National Elections in the midst of the pandemic.    

Therefore, Mr. Chair, my fellow Members of the Commission, it is with great honor and privilege to move for the confirmation of the nomination of Mr. Rey E. Bulay as Commissioner of the Commission on Elections for a term expiring on 02 February 2027, vice Luie Tito F. Guia.

I so move, Mr. Chair.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. President/Mr. Chairman and esteemed colleagues in the Commission on Appointments, good afternoon.

As your Chairperson of the Committee on Constitutional Commissions and Offices, it is my honor and privilege to submit to this august Body for its consent to the nomination of Mr. Ryan Alvin Rivera Acosta as Commissioner of the Civil Service Commission for a term expiring on   February 02, 2027, vice Leopoldo Roberto W. Valderosa Jr. 

Mr. Acosta was born and raised in Isabela, the Queen Province of the North, to Mr. and Mrs. Regino and Marita Acosta.  Our nominee’s father, an educator and civil servant, instilled in his young mind the importance of a good education and the importance of reading.  At a  young age, our nominee indulged himself in books ranging from History, Literature, and anything in between.  Books about old kingdoms, amazing tales and exotic places are among his favorites.  But he also relished Filipino komiks, Liwayway, songhits, encyclopedias, and the Bible.  His love of books and reading enriched his young mind and widened his horizons.

Mr. Acosta is a product of public education. He finished his elementary education at Matusalem Elementary School as class valedictorian and graduated fourth in his class at the Isabela State University Laboratory High School in Echague, Isabela.

Our nominee pursued college at the University of the Philippines in Manila. With grit and determination, Mr. Acosta excelled and finished his Political Science degree, cum laude.

Without the luxury of financial resources, Mr. Acosta had to work to support his law education.   He worked at the Foreign Service Institute while taking up law at the UP Diliman, graduating in 2006 and passed the Bar the following year.  In the first eight years of his legal career, Mr. Acosta sharpened his legal skills in the private sector, enduring the usual inordinately long hours in a law office before becoming an in-house corporate counsel in 2011.

In 2015, Mr. Acosta received an invitation from his mentor, now Secretary of Justice Menardo Guevarra, to assist him in the Office of the President.  Believing that he had an obligation to give back to the Filipino people whose sweat and blood have subsidized his education, Mr. Acosta left the comforts of private employment and joined the Office of the President. 

While our nominee was preparing to return to private practice, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea offered the legal portfolio to him and has since assisted the Executive Secretary and the Office of the President in resolving appealed decisions, processing enrolled bills, resolving administrative cases falling under the disciplinary authority of the President, and ensuring that all Presidential issuances are in accordance with the Constitution and relevant laws.

As a leader, Mr. Acosta has shown the innate ability to bring out the best in his subordinates, a must for an officer of the Civil Service Commission.  As proof of this, two of his three (3) deputies have since been promoted as undersecretaries and the other one (1) has been appointed as Regional Trial Court judge.

Upon assuming his current post, Mr. Acosta promoted meritocracy in the Office of the President, instituting objective assessment to evaluate applicants.  As a member of the Office of the Presidential Human Resources Merit Promotion and Selection Board, Mr. Acosta fought for the promotion of deserving employees and championed equal opportunities.  As a core member of the Performance Management Group, Mr. Acosta advocated for efficiency and integrity.  As a result, the Office of the President secured accreditation from the Civil Service Commission in the Program to Institutionalize Meritocracy and Excellence in Human Resource Management. Mr. Acosta was also instrumental in the Office of the President obtaining and retaining its ISO Certification.

In his six (6) years in the Office of the President, Mr. Acosta has kept a low public profile, never seeking the spotlight for himself and chose to silently and efficiently perform his duties as a public servant, believing that one’s work will not remain unnoticed to people who really matter.

Winston Churchill once said that some people dream of success while others wake up and work hard at it.  Truly, Mr. Acosta is a living proof of hard work, determination, and proper education that are keys to success.  Mr. Acosta’s sterling career, at such a young age, also proves that our public education system produces exemplary men and women who choose to serve our country with distinction.

Therefore, Mr. Chair, my fellow Members of the Commission, it is my great honor and privilege to move for the confirmation of the nomination of Mr. Ryan Alvin R. Acosta, as Commissioner of the Civil Service Commission, for a term expiring on February 02, 2027, vice Leopoldo Roberto Valderosa Jr.

I so move, Mr. Chair. 

Thank you very much.