Commission on Appointments to confirm DILG Secretary Robredo

After five times of refusing to confirm the appointment of the late DILG Secretary Robredo,  Commission on Appointments is doing it posthumously. Here is the news:

With or without a confirmation of his appointment by the Commission on Appointments (CA), the late Jesse Robredo will still be in the official roster of interior and local government secretaries.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, chairman of the CA, made this clear yesterday even as he bared that the late DILG chief was set for confirmation this month.

“He had a valid appointment as secretary. He will be a secretary of the interior and local government in the political history of this country, confirmation or no confirmation. It has no bearing. Every signature that he made before his death are all valid,” Enrile said.

The CA bypassed Robredo five times.

“There were questions about him from some members of the commission and that’s why there was a delay on his confirmation. That problem was settled earlier and his confirmation was scheduled for this month,” Enrile said.

But CA members are in a quandary over what to do with Malacañang’s nomination of the late DILG chief.

“We are facing a dilemma. Do we still confirm him or do we send his nomination to the archives?” a member of the House panel in the commission told The STAR yesterday.

He said he did not want to be quoted by name for fear of being labeled a kontrabida (villain). The lawmaker also said he doubted whether the CA could confirm Robredo posthumously.