Aquino to keep Romulo on board as Foreign Affairs chief

President-elect Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III will reappoint Alberto Romulo, one of the longest-serving Cabinet members of the current administration, as Foreign Affairs Secretary. Romulo, former President Corazon Aquino’s budget chief and a close friend of the Aquino family, has been with the administration of outgoing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo since 2001 in various Cabinet positions. Romulo confirmed that he has accepted the President-elect's offer for him to stay on, following a meeting with Aquino at the latter’s residence on Times St. past 1 p.m. Sunday. "They offered me to remain as secretary of Foreign Affairs. I was honored and I've accepted," Romulo told reporters in an ambush interview aired over GMA News’ “24-Oras" newscast.
He added he will support Aquino’s program of good governance. “President Noynoy has a program that we all believe in. He’s a man of integrity," Romulo said. Aquino was earlier reported as planning to retain Romulo for another year, before appointing his vice-presidential running mate Senator Manuel Roxas II to the position once the one-year ban on appointing defeated candidates ends. Romulo, however, told reporters after the meeting his appointment has no specified period. In a text message, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson Eduardo Malaya said the department's employees and officers “welcome" Romulo’s reappointment. "The DFA rank-and-file and countless officers have earlier called for the retention of Secretary Romulo at the Department's helm, given his significant achievements in advancing the Philippine national interest in the international community and in uplifting the welfare of the DFA personnel," Malaya said. Romulo, 76 years old, was first appointed as Finance secretary by Arroyo when she was sworn into office in January 2001. He left the position in May of the same year to serve as Arroyo’s Executive Secretary, and was appointed as Foreign Affairs secretary in 2004. Officers and members of employees’ associations in the DFA have expressed support for Romulo’s reappointment, citing his “significant" accomplishments in foreign affairs and efforts towards improving the Philippine foreign service. ‘Aquino voted vs JPEPA, Romulo pushed for JPEPA’ The umbrella group Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan), however, slammed Romulo’s reappointment, saying he failed to uphold the country’s interest on important issues. “Romulo is best remembered for degrading national interest when he allowed then convicted rapist US Marine Daniel Smith to be transferred to the US embassy even after a Makati court ordered him detained at the Makati City Jail. Romulo’s signed agreement with then US ambassador Kristie Kenney on the transfer of Smith was strongly rebuked by the Supreme Court in its decision on the Visiting Forces Agreement," said Bayan secretary general Renato Reyes Jr. in a statement. Reyes was referring to the highly publicized “Nicole" rape case, where Smith was convicted but later acquitted by the Court of Appeals when the victim executed an affidavit contradicting her earlier claims of rape. The group added that Romulo actively pushed for the ratification of the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement, described by critics as a one-sided pact which involved violations of the Constitution. “President-elect Aquino voted against the JPEPA yet his choice for foreign affairs secretary was one of the most active in promoting JPEPA," Reyes said. Reyes thus said they foresee no significant difference in the incoming administration’s foreign policy. “Aquino should have gotten someone capable of asserting national sovereignty… Romulo’s reappointment is indicative of the foreign policy that will be adopted under the next administration, a foreign policy that is subservient to foreign dictates," he said. Two more vacancies in Cabinet The top post in the DFA was one of three Cabinet positions that Aquino had yet to fill as of Thursday. (See: Noynoy still has three more Cabinet positions to fill) One was for the Health department, and another for a position Aquino did not identify. Shortly after Romulo’s meeting with Aquino, National Kidney and Transplant Institute director Dr. Enrique Ona and current Health Secretary Esperanza Cabral arrived at the President-elect’s Times St. home for another meeting. The two are reportedly being considered for the position of Health secretary. Cabral, however, refused to answer questions from reporters and immediately boarded a waiting car after the meeting, saying all they had was just a “very informal talk." Ona likewise said he was not offered any government position during the meeting. “We just discussed about healthcare and the health situation of the country. ‘Yun lang (That was it). No offers," Ona said. Former Philippine Ambassador to the US Albert del Rosario and former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. also paid a courtesy call to Aquino on Sunday.—JV, GMANews.TV