Senator JV Ejercito is asking President Benigno Aquino III to appoint experts in key government agencies over political allies.

“Is party affiliation now the primary qualification to be appointed in government positions? Whatever happened to competence?” the minority senator said.

He then asked of the President, “Please prioritize the appointment of professionals in government. Not to undermine the capabilities of politicians, but several positions in bureaus require technical know-how so they could perform and improve their services. Otherwise, it is the people who will suffer from their inefficiency.”

He cited the cases in the Department of Energy and MRT management, which are both under fire for their botched handling of crises.

“Look at what’s happening in the DOE and MRT. In the DOE, we already have a secretary who is a politician and novice in the energy sector. Instead of surrounding Secretary Jericho Petilla with industry professionals, why surround him with more politicians? The MRT is also regularly malfunctioning because engineers are not the ones managing their office,” Ejercito, as Member of the Senate Committees on Energy and Public Services, said.

With what is happening, Ejercito cannot help but compare the political accommodation that has tainted the past administration.

“If GMA’s term was characterized by retired military officers given various government positions, now under the Aquino administration, it is the end-term politicians and political allies being given juicy posts,” Sen. Ejercito said.

 

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Press Release
Reference: Rikki Mathay (02) 552-66-01