KABIGUAN

MUKHANG hindi alam ni Sara Duterte kung ano ang kanyang pinapasok. Kung matuloy ang pagtatalaga sa kanya bilang co-vice chairperson ng National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC), kabiguan ang kanyang sinusuong. Kakambal ng pagbibintang ang kabiguan at kahit sa kasaysayan,t hindi nananalo ang nagbibintang.

Hindi alam ni Sara ang gusto niya. Wala sa puso’t isip ang pagiging edukador. Hindi niya kaya ang trabaho ng isang ganap na kalihim ng Deped. Wala siyang malinaw na nais kung ano ang ikauunlad ng edukasyon sa bansa at paano niya maipatutupad. Dahil utak pasista, nais niyang ipataw ng sapilitan ang ROTC sa mga mag-aaral. Hindi malayo ang nakakatawang “toothbrush drill” sa kanyang agenda.

Hindi naiintindihan ni Sara ang konsepto ng “working vice president.” Hindi siya maaaring ihambing kay Leni Robredo na alam ang konsepto. Aktibong community worker si Leni noong siya ang nasa timon ng OVP dahil nauunawaan niya ng ganap ang community development bilang isang disiplina ng lingkod bayan. Malayong-malayo sila at walang batayan upang paghambingin kahit sa kapiraso.

Malupit ng sinabi ni Teddy Casino, isang netizen at kritiko: “Now that Sara Duterte has been appointed a vice chairperson of the NTF-ELCAC, can you please remove her from DepEd? Our students and teachers deserve better.” Nagpatutsada si Mar Sarmiento, isang netizen: “With the appointment as vice-chair of someone whose personal mantra is ‘power comes from the barrel of a gun,’ expect more harassment of Duterte critics, red-tagging & EJKs.”

May pasaring si Rollie Par Landon, isang netizen: “Totoo yan, career at appointive official maging sa LGU, tatrabahuhin ka para tumahimik at tuloy ang kanilang ligaya. Nangyayari ang kanilang gusto (corrupt offs) dahil hindi alam ng elective officials ang kanilang trabaho at kapangyarihan.” Huwag kang magtaka. Walang itinatagong galing si Sara kahit katiting.

Iisa ang pakiwari ng mga netizen kung bakit interesado si Sara sa posisyon sa NTF-ELCAC: PONDO. Nangangahulugan ito umano ng bilyon-bilyong piso ng intelligence fund, ayon sa kanilang pagtaya. Sino ang hindi masisilaw sa malaking halaga na inilagay ng mga mambabatas sa isang ahensya na walang gagawin kundi magbintang?

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MAY ulat ang Philippine News Agency (PNA) na nais ni BBM ng bagong pagtaya, kalkulasyon, o “recalibration” sa papel at tungkulin ng NTF-ELCAC sa kanyang gobyerno. Hindi sinabi ni BBM kung paano uugitin ang NTF-ELCAC, ngunit malinaw na hindi puede sa kanyang gobyerno ang naging papel ng NTF-ELCAC sa ilalim ng gobyerno Rodrigo Duterte.

Malinaw sa pahayag ni National Security Adviser Eduardo Año na kailangan repasuhin ang NTF-ELCAC – ano ang papel sa gobyerno, ang mga batas, executive order, o memorandum circular na bumubuo sa kanya, mga taong umuugit sa kanya, at iba pang detalye. Kailangan rin repasuhin ang naging papel nito sa mga nagdaang taon at buwan.

Hindi namin alam kung naiintindihan ni Ed Ano ang ga nabanggit. Sa maikli, hindi dapat maging kasangkapan ng panggigipit at abuso sa poder ang NTF-ELCAC tulad ng nangyari noong panahon ni Duterte kung saan maihahalintulad ang NTF-ELCAC sa isang Makapili ng nakatakip ng bayong ang ulo at nagturo sa mga itinuturing na “komunista” o “kalaban” ng estado.

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KAHIT ang Saligang Batas ng bansa ay malinaw sa kabuuan. Tanging ang Pangulo ang may poder bilang punong ehekutibo ng bansa. Ito ang dahilan kung bakit mayroon tayong “single executive” doctrine, kung saan lahat ng heads ng iba’t ibang tanggapan ng Ehekutibo ay mga assistant at agents ng Pangulo. Pakibasa ang opinyon sa wall ni Atty. Manuel Laserna Jr:

“Consider first Article VII, Section 1 on the Executive Department which states that, “The executive power shall be vested in the President of the Philippines.” Then read this in conjunction with Section 17 which provides that, “The President shall have control of all the executive departments, bureaus, and offices. He shall ensure that the laws be faithfully executed.”

For contrast, let us look at South Korea’s executive structure in its charter. Article 66 (4) of the Constitution of the Republic of Korea explicitly provides that “Executive power shall be vested in the Executive Branch headed by the President.” The other members of the Executive Branch are the Prime Minister (see Article 86) and the Supreme Council (see Article 88).

The most notable difference in the South Korean model is that executive power is given to an institution and not to a person. Note that it is vested in the “Executive Branch” whereas in our case, it is vested in the “President of the Philippines”.

Our constitution thus gave rise to the “single executive” doctrine which means that all the heads of the various executive departments are assistants and agents of the President. And correspondingly, the acts of the Secretaries of such departments, performed and promulgated in the regular course of business, are presumptively the acts of the Chief Executive, unless expressly disapproved or reprobated by him or her. (See Carpio vs. Executive Secretary, G.R. No. 96409, February 14, 1992) Hence, it was completely unnecessary for President Marcos, Jr. to designate himself Secretary of Agriculture.

From this notion of a “single executive” evolved the “pleasuring the President” dogma, which fundamentally means that presidential appointees in the executive branch (particularly Department Secretaries) hold their posts at the complete sufferance of their boss. This legal principle has become a chronically abused excuse to cling on a little bit more to one’s office. In most cases, much to the displeasure of the public.

However, the most objectionable aspect of this “privilege” within the executive branch is that it allows cabinet secretaries and other officials of similar stature, indeed the very people tasked to manage public interest portfolios, to deflect demands of accountability.

By allowing them to assert the prerogative of pleasuring the President first and foremost, they are in effect relieved of the obligation to justify their actions (or inaction) to the people. This is of course an absolute travesty because a public office is a public trust. Meaning, all public officials, including the President, serve at our pleasure above all else!”

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MGA PILING SALITA: “At a time of high prices and looming El Niño, it is imperative to review the policies of the Department of Agriculture on rice production. Mapapagaan ba ang bigat na pasan ng ating mga magsasaka o baka naman mauwi lang sa korapsyon na lalong nagpapahirap sa kanila?” – Sen. Risa Hontiveros

“It’s so stressful traveling alone for vacation. Sa immigration ang daming tanong na prang assume nila hindi ka na babalik ng Pilipinas Ikukwento mo buong life story mo. I just experienced this in T1. Hay naku Pilipinas ang hirap mong mahalin.” – Gretchen Malalad, netizen, mamamahayag