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Thursday, January 02, 2003
Cabinet to realign programs for 2003
By Joshua Dancel
MANILA -- The Presidential Cabinet family will meet Thursday in a workshop to re-evaluate their programs laid down to fit the Chief Executive's decision not to seek a second term in 2004.
The President is mulling over the idea of deferring again her major policy speech on January 6 to give her Cabinet members more time to shape up in their work and implement the new, and apparently, refocused programs to be forged.
The President is supposed to deliver a major policy speech that will track her last one and half years as president of the country.
It was also believed that she might announce a major overhaul of her Cabinet for the year 2003.
The President is keeping the speech to herself and said she is personally writing this speech and none of the cabinet members know its content.
"I just can't tell my Cabinet members, but I am making my own policy speech," the President said.
Then the President, in Baguio City, met with some of her Cabinet members December 31 to tell them she would no longer seek a second term in 2004. At the same time, she told them that she would not think twice about removing any of them if she felt they are ineffective.
But apparently to give the Cabinet members more time to work on their goals, Presidential Spokesman Rigoberto Tiglao Wednesday said the President is thinking of postponing this speech.
"She is still evaluating whether such a speech would be necessary or may have to be postponed because her standing orders to the Cabinet are to review the existing programs and projects and intensify her reform efforts," Tiglao said.
In fact, Tiglao said the President scheduled a Cabinet workshop on Thursday and a full cabinet meeting on Friday in connection with this speech.
"The workshop, without her in attendance, is in order for the Cabinet members to distill their views and proposals and then on January 3, she will be presiding over it," Tiglao said.
Tiglao said there was a necessity for the Cabinet to meet since a paradigm shift happened after she declared her intention not to run anymore in the next presidential elections.
"The paradigm and framework have changed because of her decision not to run. So they need to meet so it would be clear which programs to continue, which ones to improve, which ones to be intensified," Tiglao said of the workshop.
He said on-leave Justice Secretary Hernando Perez would not be included in the Cabinet workshop and meeting this week.
He said that hopefully within a month, the people would see "a series of major executive actions to demonstrate her seriousness in undertaking reforms."
Tiglao also said the Lakas Party executive committee would meet on January 8 to iron out the party's political concerns over the President's decision not to run. The President sits as the Lakas party chairman.
Immediately, he said the President is not endorsing anyone yet to replace her as the Party's banner candidate in 2004. "That's a question she would prefer not to answer at this time," he said.
Tiglao said the party is not in shambles after she decided not to run, but admitted that, "the situation has really suddenly changed."
The President earlier said she would have to sit down with her party mates to answer all their queries regarding her decision and also to discuss future political plans.
Tiglao also asked critics of the President, particularly Council on Philippine Affairs leader Pastor Boy Saycon and Linggoy Alcuaz, to direct their complaints to the President instead of going to the media.
Alcuaz launched a question mark sticker movement against the President, while Saycon said the Chief Executive's announcement not to run in 2004 is nothing but a smoke screen for a charter change. |
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