Palace defends appointment of Aquino optometrist to PRC

Malacañang on Friday defended President Aquino's appointment of his personal optometrist as a member of the Professional Regulations Commission's Optometry Board, insisting that there was no conflict of interest involved in doing so. At a press briefing Friday, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said it was not correct to compare prominent optometrist Vivian Sarabia's appointment to former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's appointment of her manicurist Anita Carpon as a board member of the Pag-IBIG Housing Fund last April. "You're comparing apples and oranges here," Lacierda said. "The manicurist was appointed in Pag-IBIG, and Dr. Sarabia was appointed to the board of Optometry. She is, after all, an optometrist. You're appointing a competent person to an agency or a board where she is competent to be part of." In 2002, then President Arroyo also appointed her dentist Leonor Tripon-Rosero as board examiner for dentistry. In 2003, Rosero was promoted as commissioner of the PRC. Two years after, in January 2005, she was named PRC chair. 'Competence' Sarabia, who has been making eyeglasses for Aquino in the past 10 years, was sworn in on Thursday as member of the PRC Optometry Board, along with 32 other new officials of the executive branch during a mass oath-taking ceremony in Malacañang. "We're looking at competence here. The fact that she was the eyeglass-maker of the president is of no moment. She has proven her competence, she is known in the industry and she can very well contribute to the development of the optometry profession," said Lacierda. Sarabia made a new pair for President Aquino to wear during his oath-taking ceremony last June 30. Her family has been making the eyeglasses of all Philippine presidents since the time of Commonwealth President Manuel L. Quezon. — Jam Sisante/RSJ/LBG, GMANews.TV