E·N·Q·U·I·R·Y
DEMAREE J.B. RAVAL
DEMAREE J.B. RAVAL
A justice for all
Sunday, 01 12, 2003
Lawyer Simeon Datumanong, erstwhile Secretary of Public Works, will assume tomorrow the position of Secretary of Justice. Datumanong, the first Muslim to hold that job, had reluctantly accepted his latest appointment, preferring to stay on as Secretary of Public Works because he wanted to finish the projects he had line up for implementation.
Hardly had the ink dried on his appointment, and Datumanong was already fair game for scrutiny as to his credentials, but more on his being a Muslim which, given the wrong spin, was cited as a disqualification for one expected to dispense justice to all, regardless of race or creed.
A lawyer, Datumanong was, upon his assumption as Secretary of Public Works, assailed as a square peg in a round hole. But he proved his detractors wrong – he initiated sweeping reforms in the DPWH, and weeded out those who had made the DPWH their milking cow for as long as they were there. He brought back sanity and a sense of pride to the department, through his able management and unblemished record as administrator. Public works projects had moved at breakneck speed, without the usual taint that goes with them.
The same work ethic, and determination to make good are what Datumanong will bring to the DoJ. That department currently suffers from a credibility problem, largely due to the reported involvement of Datumanong’s predecessor in a high-profile $14-million scandal, and what was exposed as the scandalous use of intelligence funds. And put in the accusation that opinions were prepared for sale, or that there was general demoralization among the ranks of the DoJ personnel arising from alleged favoritism and abuses of all forms perpetrated by those who had come in new to the department. What the DoJ needs now is someone who can gain back for it the public’s confidence. The prescription for this is Datumanong.
Yes, Datumanong is a Muslim, but this should not be taken against him. His being a Muslim does not mean he is going to favor many of his brethren in the faith who are facing charges being handled by the DoJ. His record as a public servant does not carry any taint of favoritism towards Muslims. His staff at the Batasan, Congress or DPWH was not Muslim-dominated. At the DoJ, he has promised not to disturb the organization. He did the same thing at the DPWH, Datumanong preferring to work with those who have grown on the job.
That Datumanong is a Sigma Rhoan is not a disqualification either. Sigma Rhoans are seekers of the right, with a hierarchy of loyalty that they hold dear, country being first. Datumanong will surely decide everything the right way – for country.
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By declaring themselves ready to cooperate with a President who made the decision to foreswear a second chance at Malacañang, the opposition members led by Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) of Sen. Ed Angara have risen above the levels of partisan and self-serving politics. They have exhibited the honorable, generous and responsible response to the determined call to heal a deeply divided country.
We wrote last week about an Arroyo-Angara détente that augurs well for the nation in terms of a legislative agenda that is to be pursued, recalling the Ramos presidency when an Angara-led Senate was at the forefront of a legislative juggernaut for economic reforms. The spin developed by those who saw malice in that article was foul and unexpected. The news circulated about a secret arrangement for a package of “Noel,” “Cha-cha” and the Senate presidency was obviously calculated to deflect from public consciousness the honor and admiration that cooperative members of the Senate deserve.
A Malacañang-installed leadership in the Senate is an indictment of the chamber itself. History will not be kind to a Senate that has chosen to install a leader who will toe the Palace line. Some are harping on this, to justify maintenance of the status quo in the Senate, which in the first place was Malacañang installed was back in July 2001.
Nothing could be grossly unfair and farthest from the truth than the odious news circulated by those fighting for maintenance of the status quo in the Senate, that Angara approached Malacañang to wangle an assurance that the awesome, persuasive powers of the presidency would be used to ensure that administration senators throw in their support for Angara, in exchange for the latter’s offer of critical collaboration. Angara would not resort to this horse trading. Angara is comfortable from where he currently sits, legislating at a pace his colleagues and staff can hardly cope with – the SPAV and E-procurement bills signed into law last Friday are both Angara-initiatives. The Senate presidency is not something Angara needs or covets; he has already been there.
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Persistent reports of an impending changeover have put Senate President Franklin Drilon on a heightened state of alert. His leadership may have already been dissipated by the energies he spent in maintaining discipline with the ranks of those supporting him, or perhaps lulled by the assurance that an heir apparent is in the wings, ready to take his place when the appointed times comes. Alas, the heir apparent has to undergo medical treatment in the US, and Drilon now finds himself precariously leading the Senate on borrowed time.
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