Palace stands pat on manicurist’s qualifications for Pag-IBIG post

Malacañang stood pat Thursday on the appointment of two members of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s household to high posts in government agencies, insisting they met the “qualifications" for the job. Deputy presidential spokesman Gary Olivar said President Arroyo’s manicurist Anita Carpon fit the requirement of being an “ordinary" government employee, as member of Pag-IBIG Fund. [See: Arroyo's manicurist named Pag-IBIG board member, Palace confirms] “Ang representative sa government employee, ordinaryong kawani ng pamahalaan na umasa sa Pag-IBIG. Kaya napili si Ms. Carpon, siya ay regular member ng gobyerno, meron talaga siyang item sa Palace (The Pag-IBIG board’s requirement for a representative for government employees is that the representative must be an ordinary employee who benefits from Pag-IBIG. Carpon is a regular member of government and has a regular item in the Palace)," Olivar said in an interview on dzXL radio. Several sectors had questioned Carpon’s appointment as Pag-IBIG board member, even as Malacañang defended her from criticisms about her so-called “lowly" status. Questions were also raised by the appointment of Mrs. Arroyo’s gardener Armando Macapagal as deputy of the Luneta Park Administration. But Olivar insisted the appointments will not break what he called Mrs. Arroyo’s “track record" of professionalizing the civil service. “Ayaw (namin na) sabihin ng mga tao porke hardinero o manikyurista di pwede umupo. Kailangan ng representation ng ordinaryong mamamayan (We do not want people saying gardeners and manicurists do not deserve to get government posts. Ordinary citizens need representation too)," he said. Carpon’s appointment first appeared on the Philippine Star newspaper when columnist Jarius Bondoc said Carpon secured a post at Pag-IBIG and would likely receive a monthly salary of P130,000. In 2002, President Arroyo also appointed her dentist Leonor Tripon-Rosero as board examiner for dentistry. Rosero was promoted as commissioner of the Philippine Regulation Commission in 2003. Two years after, in January 2005, she was promoted to chair the PRC. — LBG/RSJ GMANews.TV