By Rigoberto D. Tiglao
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 20:59:00 11/24/2010
First Posted 20:59:00 11/24/2010
…Think of President Aquino’s very first order as head of government, Memorandum Circular No. 1, which would have paralyzed government. It was rescinded, as his officials put it, just “to fine-tune” it. Think of Dinky Soliman boasting that yes, the President was in command during the hostage crisis in August because he had a command post—at the Emerald Garden restaurant. Think of Mr. Aquino antagonizing the United States by saying that its travel advisories warning of terrorist attacks in the country are merely pressure connected to the Visiting Forces Agreement. Think of the incompetent tourism secretary, Alberto Lim, arrogantly saying that there wasn’t any plagiarism in the design of the slogan he wanted since Poland doesn’t have a copyright on it…
…The real Little President is starting to look like Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, who is known as the President’s intellectual tutor. It was Abad’s draft of MC No. 1 which Aquino ordered Ochoa to issue rather than the one prepared by the executive secretary’s staff.
Indeed, it was a deft move by Abad to have his daughter Julia head the Presidential Management Staff (PMS). The PMS, which I headed for nearly two years, is a low-key but potentially the most powerful organization in the Executive Department. I say “potentially” because its power is determined by how much the President trusts the PMS. Organization-wise, the PMS has no rival in the Executive Department as its 300-plus staff has the expertise to quickly prepare a briefing for the President on any issue he needs to know. It is also the PMS that undertakes background research on any official the President plans to appoint to a position. And it is the PMS which coordinates with every entity in Malacañang, including the Presidential Security Group, on the President’s appointments in and out of the Palace.
The 31-year-old PMS head, whose last post was as Dinky Soliman’s girl Friday, is a kid in a highly professional, veteran institution. No matter, it is obviously Papa who is really running the PMS, getting reports from, and giving orders to, her over the family’s dinner table…
No comments:
Post a Comment