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Teves 'withdraws' plan to tender resignation


After getting a "clarification" from Malacañang, Finance Secretary Margarito Teves said Sunday he would withdraw his plan to tender his courtesy resignation to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Monday. But Teves, in a statement posted on the Office of the Press Secretary website (www.news.ops.gov.ph), said he will still resign if Mrs Arroyo were to ask him to do so. "I was prepared to tender my letter of resignation on June 18 in line with a presidential directive, which I thought included Cabinet secretaries. However, Secretary Bunye clarified that any news purporting to expand the coverage of the presidential order to include Cabinet members is totally inaccurate," he said. Last week, radio reports quoted Teves as saying he and the other members of the economic team were ready to hand in their courtesy resignations to Mrs Arroyo. But Malacañang insisted the order to hand in courtesy resignations applied only to appointees in government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) and government financing institutions (GFIs). Still, Teves said he is willing to hand in his resignation should Mrs Arroyo ask for it, if only to give her a free hand in reorganizing the government. The Palace order for resignations sparked speculations that Mrs Arroyo was disappointed in some Cabinet members who failed to deliver votes for her Team Unity senatorial candidates in the last election. "Nevertheless, if and when the President asks me to do so, I will readily resign. We serve at her pleasure. And we'd like to give her a free hand in reorganizing the government," Teves said. - GMANews.TV

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