Palace exec: Cabinet changes could affect anybody

The impending changes in President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino III's Cabinet could affect "anybody" and not just incumbent secretaries who are in their posts only in an acting capacity, a Palace official said on Friday. In a phone-patch interview with Palace reporters, Presidential Communications Development and Strategic Planning Secretary Ricky Carandang said the Cabinet shake-up would affect "three [Cabinet members] at the most" and would most likely happen in January. Carandang said there is no certainty that officials who were appointed to their posts only in an acting capacity, like Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Jesse Robredo and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Ramon Paje, would be the ones replaced by January. Carandang pointed out that Paje's possible replacement, former Bukidnon congressman Neric Acosta, could not be appointed to a government post until May next year because of the one-year ban against appointing losing candidates. Acosta ran for the Senate under Aquino's Liberal Party in the elections in May this year but failed to secure a spot among the top 12 senatorial candidates. During his stint in the House of Representatives, Acosta authored many environmental laws including the Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act. "If it's happening in January it could be anybody," said Carandang, claiming that he does not know who would be replaced. In November, Aquino said there may be changes in the DENR and the DILG. Aquino said he is looking to replace Paje next year with one of his party-mates in the Liberal Party, apparently referring to Acosta. The president said while he was pleased with Robredo's performace, he wants to fast-track the resolution of the informal settlers problem which Robredo, a former award-winning mayor of Naga City, was experienced in handling. Aquino was quoted by the Philippine Star as saying on Thursday that there would be changes in his official family in January next year that will affect three officials at the most, but he did not name them. – VVP, GMANews.TV