Tuesday, February 19, 2008 Another House official resigns
THE House secretary general, Roberto Nazareno, resigned just two weeks after the ouster of his boss, former Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. who was unseated amid his rift with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo over the US$329 million national broadband network (NBN) deal with China's ZTE Corp.
The first woman for the job, House committee on rules deputy executive director Marilyn Yap, a lawyer, was elected the new secretary general on the motion of Deputy Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales.
The nomination of Yap, who is closely associated with Nograles, the former chairperson of the rules panel, was initially questioned by Southern Leyte Representative Roger Mercado who wanted the leadership to allow everyone to scrutinize the nominee's credentials. Mercado later withdrew his motion.
In nominating Yap, Gonzales described Yap as a hard worker and diligent public servant who rose from the ranks from the Office of the Secretariat.
Gonzales said Yap is also "intellectually gifted," being graduate of the University of the Philippines College of Law who holds a master's degree in public management, education and business administration and another doctorate degree in public administration.
Nazareno, 74, is a known de Venecia confidant who has been elected thrice as secretary general of the 11th, 12th, 13th and 14th Congresses, the longest serving House secretary general and the first non-lawyer who occupied that position in the history of House of Representatives.
Despite having reached the retirement age, Nazareno was allowed to serve as secretary general under de Venecia's leadership.
In his resignation letter, which was read in the plenary by Majority Leader Arthur Defensor, Nazareno told the House that "it was indeed a great honor to be accorded the opportunity to serve."
Nazareno's career in legislative service started when he became the operations officer of the Secretariat of the Legislative Advisory Council (Batasang Bayan) in 1976-1977.
In the old Batasang Pambansa, Nazareno served as director of the bills and legislative reference services; director of the documentation services; and lastly, as director of the plenary affairs bureau.
He was appointed as technical assistant for operation when the Constitutional Commission (Con-con) of 1986 was convened and was re-appointed as director of the plenary affairs bureau in the 1987 Congress. He was later promoted to deputy secretary general for operations in 1991.
Nazareno obtained his commerce degree from the Far Easter University in 1957 and finished his master's degree in public administration at the Centro Escolar University in 1977 as a scholar of the Office of the President under the Civil Service Commission Scholarship Program.
Before Nazareno's resignation, two officials who are in charge of financial and administrative matters have also resigned after getting wind of the new House leadership's plan to audit the disbursements during de Venecia's term.
Sources said de Venecia's chief of staff Evelyn Patalinjug Panlaque, who held the position of deputy secretary general under de Venecia's office, announced her resignation during a meeting of House employees two weeks ago.
The same sources said deputy secretary general for finance Rhodora Jose Sevilla has also taken a leave of absence just more than a week before her retirement on February 17. (WV/Sunnex)
