CA confirms appointment of DOF chief Purisima

The powerful Commission on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday confirmed the appointment of Cesar Purisima as Finance secretary. The CA made the confirmation after its finance committee recommended the same earlier in the day. No one opposed Purisima's confirmation, although the CA earlier deferred recommending his confirmation after Quezon Rep. Danilo Suarez said Purisima, as chairman of the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management (PSALM) Corporation, is against the payment of the "proper" real property taxes by the corporation Mirant for the coal-fired thermal power plant it operated in Pagbilao in Quezon province. Aside from Suarez, Danilo Lihaylihay, a private citizen, opposed Purisima's confirmation because the secretary supposedly failed to pay him over P42 billion in informant fees. During Wednesday's hearing, however, Purisima only had to answer questions from some lawmakers regarding the fiscal policies of the Aquino administration, specifically on taxes and borrowing. Among the Cabinet members whose nominations have also been confirmed by the CA are: - Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa; - Budget Sec. Florencio "Butch" Abad; - Education Sec. Armin Luistro; - Trade Sec. Gregory Domingo; - Energy Sec. Jose Rene Almendras; - Tourism Sec. Alberto Lim; - Agriculture Sec. Proceso Alcala; - Public Works Sec. Rogelio Singson; - Science and Technology Sec. Mario Montejo; - Labor Sec. Rosalinda Baldoz; - Health Sec. Enrique Ona; - Transportation Sec. Jose Ping de Jesus; - Defense Sec. Voltaire Gazmin; - Foreign Affairs Sec. Albert del Rosario; and - Agrarian Reform Sec. Virgilio delos Reyes. The CA is composed of the Senate president as its head and 12 senators and 12 congressmen as its members. Its duty is to confirm appointments made by the President of the Philippines — the heads of the executive departments, ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, or officers of the Amed Forces from the rank of colonel or naval captain, except those of the Ombudsman and Supreme Court justices. The CA discusses and deliberates on nominations at the standing committee level and at the plenary session. Nominations or appointments may end up being confirmed, rejected or bypassed. — Kimberly Jane Tan/KBK, GMA News