by Azer Parrocha/PNA
MANILA — Malacañang on Tuesday expressed confidence that newly-appointed Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Benjamin Diokno will hurdle the Commission on Appointments (CA).
Despite the former Budget Secretary being dragged in controversy involving issues on the proposed 2019 budget, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said that it will not impede the confirmation of his appointment.
“I don’t think so…the allegations are not true. I don’t think anybody believed them,” Panelo said during a Palace briefing when asked if budget issues might put Diokno’s confirmation at risk.
“That’s their (CA’s) call. We have a good man there, we have an experienced man, we have an expert man, we have man with integrity,” he added.
Panelo bared that President Rodrigo R. Duterte had a list of names to succeed the late Nestor Espenilla Jr. before deciding on Diokno’s appointment.
“Sinabi niya lang, maraming names siyang tiningnan (The President said he looked at a lot of names, he checked them one by one),” Panelo said.
Although Diokno’s appointment as BSP Governor was met by surprise coming from the banking industry who expected an insider to succeed Espenilla, Panelo said Diokno’s qualifications are enough basis for his appointment.
“Integrity, competence, expertise. I already said the qualifications under which the President based his appointment. The banking industry lauded the appointment of Sec. Ben Diokno,” Panelo said.
Panelo said that Duterte has not yet decided who he will appoint to replace Diokno as Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
He, however, said that Budget Undersecretary Janet Abuel will be officer-in-charge of the DBM as the department awaits Diokno’s replacement.
“What I know is there is an acting now, Atty. Abuel, a lawyer-CPA,” Panelo said.
Not a reward
Panelo, meanwhile, denied that Diokno’s appointment as BSP Governor was an award after being heavily criticized during budget deliberations at the House of Representatives.
“I don’t think it’s a reward. The way he told us last night, marami raw names na binigay sa kaniya, inisa-isa niya, si Diokno ang napusuan niya (there were a lot of names given to him, he went through them one by one, and preferred Diokno),” Panelo said in an interview over cable television ANC.
Panelo said Diokno “deserved” the appointment and that President Rodrigo R. Duterte reminded him to “serve public interest”.
“A much-deserved appointment. The man is competent. He is expert in his field so the President—in fact, last night when he announced it, he told the newly appointed Bangko Sentral Governor, ‘There is only one thing that I will say: serve public interest,’” he added.
Earlier, Diokno was dragged into controversy after being accused by House appropriations committee chair Rolando Andaya Jr. of allegedly orchestrating “insertions” in the PHP3.757-trillion proposed national budget for 2019.
Amid calls for Diokno’s resignation, Duterte and some cabinet members threw support for Diokno and slammed the House of Representatives members for display of “disrespect and utter lack of courtesy” toward Diokno in a recent “seemingly biased and hastily called Question Hour.”
