Group defends right to get posts under Noynoy admin

Insisting that there is nothing wrong with it, a civil society group on Monday defended the right of its members to "serve" under the administration of president-apparent Sen. Benigno Simeon “Noynoy" Aquino III. The Black and White Movement (BWM) stressed this even as it served notice to Aquino that the group can be an unforgiving critic of "wrongdoings" under his administration. "Just because you’re a supporter di ka pwede maging member ng Cabinet? Maybe they should just send in their resume (Just because you’re a supporter you cannot be a Cabinet member? Maybe we should allow those interested to send in their resumes)," Black and White Movement convenor Leah Navarro said in an interview on dzXL radio. She chided some groups for warning Aquino against getting people from civil society groups and allies such as the "Hyatt 10." Former Social Welfare secretary Corazon "Dinky" Soliman, a member of the BWM, had been named by Aquino's camp that she will get back in her old post once Noynoy is proclaimed president. Chiz's take Last week, Sen. Francis Escudero advised some supporters of Aquino not to expect government posts in exchange for their support for his presidential bid. "Sana ganoon din ang ibang nagtrabaho at maiingay na nagtrabaho at pinagsigawang nagtrabaho para sa kanya. Di naman siguro nila ginawa yan na may hinihiling na kapalit o sukli. Di naman siguro ginawa yan at di siguro sasama loob nila kung di sila papasok sa gobyerno o mababalik sa dating pwesto," Escudero had said then. (I hope the more vocal supporters of Aquino are not expecting posts in return for their support. I want to believe they worked for Aquino without expecting government rewards in return.) In the just concluded May 10 polls, Escudero backed Aquino and the vice presidential bid of Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay. The Black and White Movement was among the vocal supporters of Aquino’s presidential bid. But Navarro said that in her case, she had not applied for a post under the incoming administration. "In general there is nothing wrong with serving in government. If you want to serve and you are qualified, bakit hindi (why not)?" she added. "Nilalagay ng ibang tao ang ibang kulay porke’t ikaw ay isang supporter at kung aalukin ka ng pwesto o mag-apply ng isang pwesto, which I have not done. There is nothing wrong with that especially if you are willing to serve at may credentials ka at pwede ka sa pwesto (Some people are trying to inject malice into this issue of supporters getting government posts. There is nothing wrong with that especially if you are willing to serve and you have the proper credentials)," she said. Ready to criticize On the other hand, Navarro served notice to Aquino her group will not hesitate to criticize him for wrongdoings under his watch. "Ang aim ng aming movement di lang sumuporta sa gumagawa ng maganda sa gobyerno pero kung may mapupuna tayo di masyadong maganda siyempre yan ang gagawin namin. That’s why we were formed (Our movement aims not only to support those who do good under the government, but also to criticize shortcomings. That’s why we were formed)," she said. "Kung maganda ang nangyayari it might be better wala nang need for groups like Black and White Movement (If everything turns out well, there will be no need for groups like ours and it might be better)," she added. — RSJ, GMANews.TV