Related article: Drilon congratulates “Samar group” with Roxas appointment as DOTC secretary (Article in comments)
The Manila Times’ Dante Ang, in an information-filled article complete with findings of the Commission on Audit of irregularities in a radar project, said de Jesus did not resign. He was actually fired.
We have yet to know the whole truth about what happened at the DOTC amidst the spins being given fed to the media.
In announcing the appointment of Roxas, Aquino admitted that Roxas was originally slated to take a position based in Malacañang.“Sabi ko sa kanya kelangan sana kita sa headquarters pero may sunog sa frontlines…. Puwede ba sumugod ka muna doon? ”
Aquino said aside from being DOTC secretary, he also named Roxas senior member of the cabinet economic cluster.
The appointment of Roxas to the DOTC partly solves the problem that would have sharpened the rivalry between the two factions in the Aquino administration had the unsuccessful Liberal party vice presidential bet been appointed presidential ‘chief- of- staff’ and held office in Malacañang.
The ‘Samar’ faction, so named because the group was holding office at the house of realtor Gerry Acuzar, brother-in-law of Executive Secretary Paquito “Jojo” Ochoa during the election campaign, supported Jejomar Binay for vice-president.
The group that supported Roxas is called the “Balay” faction because they were meeting in “Balay”, a place at the Araneta compound, owned by the family of Roxas’ mother, Judy Araneta-Roxas.
From the start of the almost one-year old Aquino administration, there was a fierce battle for positions based in Malacañang. Both factions believe that it is an advantage to be physically near the President. The nearness would allow any one of them to immediately give inputs to any issue at hand and they hope, influence the President’s decision.
That advantage is enjoyed by Ochoa who holds office in the same building where the President holds office too. Members of the Balay group are worried of the proximity of Ochoa to the President. “Ang lungkot sa Premier Guesthouse. Kami lang dalawa ni Noynoy.”
Ochoa enjoys “high comfort level” with the President being his lawyer way back when Aquino was congressman.
Julia Abad, head of the Presidential Management Staff, which is located in a building near Malacanang but not within the Malacañang compound, maintains a small office at the Premier Guest House.
Next to the Premier Guest House is the New Executive Building where offices of cabinet members dealing with media are located namely Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, Secretary Ricky Carandang of Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Office and his deputy Manolo Quezon, and Presidential Communications Operations Secretary Sonny Coloma.
The appointment of Roxas as chief-of-staff was a matter of concern for the Samar” group as it would duplicate the role of Ochoa as presidential gatekeeper. Even now, a source said, Abad as PMS head tries to act also as “gatekeeper”, which is being resented by members of Samar group.
The resignation or firing of De Jesus, whatever version one wants to believe,although initially seen as a blow to the one-year old Aquino administration, gifted Aquino with a “Solomonic” solution that diffused for now the battle for proximity to him among his suppporters.
Asked if his DOTC appointment, which will make him hold office in the department’s Ortigas Avenue office in Mandaluyong, was the handiwork of the ‘Samar’ faction in the Aquino administration, Roxas just shrugged his shoulders.
Just like when he gave up his presidential bid in favor of Aquino, Roxas is being praised for accepting the position of DOTC secretary. As Facebooker Ruben Licera Jr said,“ You don’t serve where you want to but where you are needed by your country and leader. I think this is the essence of public service.”
Para palang camouflage ang gabinete ni PNoy. Daming kulay na nagsasalimbayan na gustong siyang mangibabaw.
Kapag ganyan sila nang ganyan, hindi magbibigayan, sila ang dahilan ng pagbagsak ng TRUST rating ni PNoy.
Ipupusta ko ang logbet ng kapitbahay ni Tongue, hindi pa rin mawawala ang mga gustong saksakin sa likod si Mar.
Iwasan nila ang galit ni Kuring.
Good luck Sen.Mar Roxas, this is your chance to prove your worth,sana magtagumpay ka at malinis mo ang departamentong iyan.
“Ang lungkot sa Premier Guesthouse. Kami lang dalawa ni Noynoy.” -Ochoa
Hindi ka na nag-iisa! Hindi ka na malulungkot, tatlo na kayo dyan nina kuya Mar! 🙂
Hindi nga Chi, eh. Mar will hold office in Ortigas Avenue.
In a way, the Samar group succeeded in shooing away Mar from Malacanang.
As I said, “The resignation or firing of De Jesus, whatever version one wants to believe,although initially seen as a blow to the one-year old Aquino administration, gifted Aquino with a “Solomonic” solution that diffused for now the battle for proximity to him among his suppporters.
Ping de Jesus was fired due to his “perfection of the Putot’s Sumitomo-Thales consortium and some “questionable, if not dubious decisions”.
I like this sacking of de Jesus if true. Yey, show us some more balls, Pnoy! 🙂
Ay hindi pala mag-oopis sa premier guesthouse si kuya Mar. Ang lungkot naman Mags, hindi pa rin pantay ang laban ng Samar at Balay. 🙂
The talk was, the Mar/ Balay faction recommended that Ochoa be moved to DOTC while the Samar faction pushed for Mar for DOTC. Each faction wants to be the one in Malacanang near PNoy.
Samar group won.
Drilon’s remark drips with sarcasm:
Drilon congratulates ‘Samar group’ with Roxas’ appointment as DoTC secretary
By Maila Ager
Inquirer
“Congratulations to the Samar group!” was Senator Franklin Drilon’s joking remark to Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, after President Aquino announced the appointment of former Senator Mar Roxas as the new Transportation and Communications secretary.
Escudero is identified with the so-called “Samar Group,” composed of people who supported the tandem of President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and Vice President Jejomar Binay in the last May elections while Drilon belonged to the so-called “Balay Group,” who backed the Aquino-Roxas tandem.
Escudero, who was about to be interviewed by reporters on Roxas’ appointment, also jokingly answered Drilon: “I will endorse,” meaning he will give his vote for Roxas when he faces the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA) for confirmation.
“Nasa kaniya ang boto ko sa CA. Hindi ko man nabigay noong nakaraan kaugnay ng ibang puwesto, nasa kaniya ang aking suporta sa CA (He has my vote at the CA. I may not have voted for him in the past for another post, but I give him my support this time at the CA),” Escudero said, adding Roxas was qualified for the job.
Asked if the appointment was a victory for the Samar Group, Escudero said it was a victory for the President because he was able to solve two possible problems—the vacancy in the DoTC with the resignation of Secretary Jose “Ping” de Jesus and the trouble that would have been created if the planned appointment of Roxas as presidential chief of staff pushed through.
Ano ba yan, nagsisikuhan para siya ang malapit sa kalan.
They think so little of PNoy, they think makuha siya sa bulung-bulong?
#7. Ganun pala ang balita, Ellen. Mas malakas ang hatak ng Samar dahil sa hindi ko babanggiting rason. :).
Anyway, suportado ko si Mar sa DOTC. May he succeed in his ventures at the agency. It will make my friend Magno and I very proud. 🙂
Si Chiz naman! Of course you got to give your CA vote to kuya Mar, Samar has successfully engineered project DOTC.
Chi, re #10. It could be a blessing in disguise for Mar.
I believe so, Ellen.
Uy, Magno is back! Hello Magno!
Incidentally, I’m all for Mr Roxas being at DOTC… let’s see him in action. DOTC won’t be an easy task but if he can hack it, he will be able to hack anything after that.
Kudos to Mr Aquino for this “Solomonic” decision!
Kay Noynoy uli ako, balik-loob hehehe
I’m just happy Mar is back.
happy too but not with the way it was done.
Although Mar has been given the chance to serve via DOTC, I’m still not comfy with Ochoa virtually calling the shots in Malcañang. “Binabakuran” niya si Noynoy.
Not when his own Kamaganak (ni Ochoa) Inc. are well-entrenched in various positions in Noynoy’s gov’t. The more it shows Noynoy’s gullibility to believe everything his (shady) close friends tell him.
In other words, “Binayagan ni Noynoy si Mar at si Drilon dito”.
While we were busy, Arroyo and Raul Gonzales et al have been busy also trying to block SC nominees. 🙂
Anyway, suportado ko si Mar sa DOTC. May he succeed in his ventures at the agency. – chi
I’ve told several times here, Mar will go out of his way to ensure his commitments are met. Like when he provided DTI funds to pave the Macapagal Airport baku-bakong runway for UPS’ big cargo planes when Ebdane won’t share his DPWH funds for an incoming major investor.
Although UPS has moved its Regional Hub to Beijing – a decision they now regret – the huge US cargo giant is keen on keeping its operations in the Phils for the duration of the 25-year lease, this time customer service ops have been transferred from the US to Clark and many more jobs have been created.
Ditto the big cuts in medicine prices now benefiting many Pinoys, Mar Roxas deserves nothing but accolades.
And there are many more feathers in Mar’s cap. Now he can start by digging deep into the recent buyout of Sun Cellular from Digitel by Smart – the company owned by the former (and/or current?) boss of Ping De Jesus.
Sabi nung magtitinapa, sumulat daw ang mga Ayala kay Noynoy tungkol sa pagsasawalang-kibo ng NTC/DOTC ni De Jesus sa monopolist strategy ni MVP sa telecoms industry. Mukhang may konek nga.
Totoo kaya ito? Isang supot pa ngang salinyasi!
Tongue, ang tagal kong hinihintay ang balita ng magtitinapa? Ang dami pang nakatagong balita yun, dalawang supot na ang bilhin mo. Hahaha!
Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda texted that Julia Abad holds office at the Premier GuestHouse where Ochoa also holds office, not at the New Executive Bldg.
Corrected that line in the story.
Hindi natin alam kung ang mga “kwento kwento” eh gawa gawa ng mga naglalabang grupo para mas mapapalapit kay Pnoy. Ano ba yan? Nakakadismaya!
Until now, I am still holding off on judging Pnoy. It looks like he is trying his best to please all his big supporters, putting them in key positions. Kaya nga lang puro palpak naman ang karamihan. Let us see how Mar will perform. Huwag lang siyang sisiraan ng mga nakabakod kay Pnoy.
Mam Ellen, I give Mr. Mar Roxas my support in his new job, not because I like him (I voted for Loren Legarda last year), but because our nation can no longer accept failures.
Tama na ang kapalpakan. Ang daming dapat gawin ng DOTC: ang pagpapaayos ng transportation systems ng bansa, at pag-improve ng ating telecommunication infrastractures.
Tama na sana ang walang hanggang bangayan na ito. Our elected officials have to stop acting like little kids fighting over who should dribble the ball first!
Ochoa is not elected but he gets all the balls! 🙂
DOTC is one department where “milk and honey” freely flows, that’s why corruption is associated with it. Mar Roxas is a good man and accepting the challenge to head the department is like playing the Russian roulette with his presidential ambition. If he can hack the job, straighten and make the department free from scandals and corruption, he will come out clean, smells good and there’s a good chance he will make it in 2016.
On the other hand if he failed, failure will be associated with him and there will be doubts about his ambitions. That’s why failure is not an option.
Sometimes one would think that what’s going on now is positioning and realigning of political forces for the 2013 and 2016 elections. It’s as if Mar’s designation at the DOTC is the handiwork and grand design by the other group to keep his distance from Malacanang and mainly to put him in a place where on one has any success before. Not a small victory for the Samar group.
But just like the Russian roulette, it’s a hit or miss game, or a roll of the dice that can work both ways.
Ayos na ang boto-boto ni Mar
Kung akala nilang mga nais pigilin ang pagsulong ni Mar na kung saan sa DOTC malalayo si Mar sa Malakanyang na parang nasa kawali itinapon nila sa apoy, laking mali nila. Sa halip ang nangyari, si Mar ay parang isda mula sa banca ay itinapon nila sa tubig. Inilayo nila si Mar sa intriga at inilapit ng husto sa mga botante.
Ang maging kalihim ng isang kagawaran na meron tanggapan sa mga siyudad at probinsiya sa buong kapuluan, isang taon lang pagbibisita sa kawani at mga botante ay sapat ng puhunan sa paghahanda sa darating ng halalan. Pagkatapos ng apat na taon sa DOTC, plantsado na ang adhikain ni Mar.
Talo ng maalam ang matalino; talo din ng maagap ang masipag. Ingat lang sa mga intrigero, mga garapal at matakaw. Kung ganyan si Mar, pati mga trabaho sa Central Office puedeng habang nagbibiyahe dahil sa modern technology, sa mga Regional at field offices gawin.
Istorbo nga lang kung palaging ipapatawag sa Malakanyang dahil sa mga inggiterong gustong pigilin ang kanyang magagaling na gawain sa DOTC. Diyan masusubok ang galing ni Mar.
Siempre pag bisita sa mga probinsiya nandiyan ang mga Gobernador at Mayor, Mga Barangay Captains. Importante
hindi lang problema ng mga palenke ang makikita niya kundi
pati problema ng paggalaw ng mga tao at kalakal.
Bilang puno ng Liberal Party, lalong puede rin niyan palakasin ng husto ang pagpapalaki at pagpaparami ng miembro ng kanyang partido sa region at mga probinsiya. Laking swerte naman ni Mar. Dahil diyan, meron sasakit ang ulo sa kaiisip sa Malakanyang. Hindi magtatagal bibigyan agad siya ng opisina sa Malakanyang para hindi makagalaw.
Roxas out of Palace but with an army
By: Amando Doronila
Roxas will now be in charge of a ministry with its own budget, staff, projects and offices away from Malacañang, autonomous of other departments. In a word, he will have an army and troops under his command, with specific missions and an order of battle. If he had been designated chief of staff, without specific functions, jurisdictions and troops to deploy, he would have been reduced into a general commanding a phantom army of paper divisions. The President had jobs cut out for Roxas —including resolving the problems stemming from the long-delayed full operations of the new Naia Terminal 3, and the investigation of the allegedly overpriced and over-building of roll-on-roll-off projects of the past administration.
http://opinion.inquirer.net/6012/roxas-out-of-palace-but-with-an-army
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TONGRESSWOMAN Gloria Arroyo, former president, openly expressed her opposition to the proposed appointment of Supreme Court Associate Justice Conchita Carpio Morales as Ombudsman after she retires on June 19.
The former president declared that Justice Carpio Morales is not possessed with “the required independence and impartiality in resolving cases involving me and my family.”
The first point that Gloria Arroyo drove home is the certainty that cases of plunder will be brought against her and her family before the new Ombudsman who could very well be Ms. Carpio Morales.
Good thinking, Congresswoman! You might have guessed right.
Mrs. Arroyo’s objection to the appointment of Justice Carpio Morales is based on the warped argument that the latter consistently voted against her in the Supreme Court.
http://www.malaya.com.ph/june10/edmacasaet.html
Isipin ninyo, natakot ang mga Ayala kay De Jesus na baka ipagtatanggol lamang ang interes ng amo niyang si Pangilinan na may hawak ng Smart/PLDT. Laban sa kanilang Globe Telecoms.
Lalo na nung payagan ni De Jesus/NTC na bilhin at itake-over ng Smart ang Sun Cellular ni Gokongwei.
Huwag nating kalimutan na nakapasok na rin sa telecoms ang Yotits ni Pnoy na si Danding matapos bilhin kay Raymond Moreno ang Liberty Telecoms at ngayon ay kapartner na ng Qatar Telecoms sa Wi-Tribe na broadband provider. Telecoms ang tinaguriang “Industry of the Millenium”. Diyan nag-uubusan ng kwarta ngayon.
Parang tumutulay si Roxas sa alambre.
If he does well at the DOTC, he might have a chance in 2016.
Eto yung kinukwento nung magtitinapa sa balita – ang labanan para ma monopolize ang telecoms sector pati na ang ibang utilities:
http://www.tribuneonline.org/business/20110615bus1.html