MANILA, 5 October 2006 — Ambassador Antonio Villamor is expected to assume his post as Philippine envoy to Saudi Arabia very soon after the Commission on Appointments in Manila confirmed his nomination yesterday.
Villamor and 30 other foreign service officers breezed through the powerful panel, but two other nominees, including the post of ambassador to the United Nations, faced rough sailing.
The 24-member commission, chaired by the Senate president, is composed of senators and congressmen, who each has the power to defer action on a nomination. Approval by the commission is required for presidential appointees to foreign posts and the promotion of Philippine foreign service officers, as well as appointment to Cabinet posts and the promotion of military officers from colonels and up.
Rep. Abdullah Dimaporo of Lanao del Norte province in the southern Philippine region of Mindanao opposed Villamor’s nomination, saying that assigning a non-Muslim to a Muslim country such as Saudi Arabia might make the ambassador less effective.
Dimaporo later withdrew his opposition after Villamor explained that the appointment of a non-Muslim as Philippine ambassador to Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries are not without precedence. He also promised to give his best shot.
President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo announced Villamor’s nomination as envoy to Saudi Arabia when she visited the Kingdom last May.
Villamor replaced Ambassador Bahnarim Guinomla, who was reassigned to Turkey.
Pending Villamor’s assumption of his post, the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh is headed by Consul General Nestor N. Padalhin, the chargé d’affaires.
Also Confirmed
Apart from Villamor, the diplomats who got the nod of the Commission on Appointment yesterday were Willy Gaa as ambassador to the United States, Maria Rosario Janolo as ambassador to Kenya and permanent representative to the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), Noel Cabrera to Myanmar, and Antonio Lagdameo to Mexico.
Confirmed as chief of mission class 1 were Belen Anota, Enrique Manalo, Marciano Paynor Jr., Emelinda Lee-Pineda, Zenaida Rabago, Ma. Rowena Sanchez, Oscar Valenzuela and Jesus Yabes.
Confirmed as chief of mission class 2 were Marilyn Alarilla, Jose Arthur Ampeso, Ma. Corazon Bahjin, Ma. Aniceta Aileen Bugarin, Generoso Calonge, Macarthur Corsino, Minda Cruz, Leslie Gatan, Denis Lapatan, Walter Salmingo, Jerril Santos and Benito Valeriano,
Jose Maria Carino, Alex Chua and Ma. Leticia Ramos were confirmed as career ministers, while Raymond Balatbat, Zaldy Patron and Paul Vincent Uy were confirmed as foreign service officer class I.
On Hold
Placed on hold were the nomination of former Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. as permanent representative to the United Nations, and of former Guimaras provincial governor Imelda Lopez as ambassador to Italy.
Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, son of ousted President Joseph Estrada, invoked Section 20 of the commission’s rules, an automatic veto which is not debatable, when the nomination of Davide was up for deliberation during the CA session.
Senator Estrada told reporters that Davide has a lot of question to answers for, “particularly on the swearing in of Mrs. Arroyo as acting president of the republic.”
Davide was the chief of the Supreme Court, which justified the ascension of then Vice President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo as president after President Estrada was forced to step down in January 2001 during a military-backed popular uprising.
Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, chair of the CA’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, disclosed that President Arroyo has decided to “indefinitely” defer the nomination of Imelda Lopez as ambassador to Italy “due to written oppositions against her nomination.” Santiago did not elaborate.
Santiago said the committee would schedule a hearing to give Davide a chance to defend himself. (With input from Inquirer News Service)
