On Judy Taguiwalo

Allow us to offer a few observations on why Judy Taguiwalo's confirmation was rejected by the Commission on Appointments.

There is, of course, the primary reason. Attempting to explain this is simply an act of stating the obvious. Taguiwalo is an exceptionally effective Social Welfare Secretary. In a year's time she has managed to transform the agency from one of the most notoriously corrupt during Aquino's time to one of the most efficient during President Duterte's relatively young administration (yes it used to be headed by that stinky slime-ball Dinky Soliman and yes, Soliman was among those largely responsible for the missing Yolanda funds, the relief goods given to us by other countries that were left to rot, and the mysteriously disappearing street children during the Pope's visit).

Taguiwalo's leadership has been tested by a number of major calamities and each time they struck, she responded with precise efficiency and tireless dedication to her calling. Upon her appointment by the President, Judy hit the ground running. She worked silently without pining for validation and simply delivered. Not only that, she likewise safeguarded the agency's resources from corrupt politicians who wanted to use the DSWD as a conduit to stealthily funnel out what appears to be creatively camouflaged congressional pork. Most of these are legislators, the very same people who made up the bicameral contingent responsible for rejecting and approving executive appointments. The conflict was simple. These people wanted to get their share of the pie, and Taguiwalo was simply in the way and made it difficult for them to take what is not theirs. They may be brandishing several reasons for rejecting her appointment, but the ulterior motive is clear. Judy Taguiwalo is a pain in the ass. Why confirm someone who makes life difficult for you?

But then again, there seems to be another reason which is less conspicuous. And this reason is political. Judy Taguiwalo's appointment was one of the concessions given by the President to the left so that Joma Sison will agree to discuss peace and end a decades-long struggle which took countless lives from both sides of the political divide. Yes Judy is not only your token leftist. She is a life-long communist. One of those nominated by the CPP-NDF to form part of Digong's rainbow government, his own veritable "team of rivals." Along with Judy, the left pitched in several other nominees - Ka Paeng Mariano of the KMP to head the Agrarian Reform post, Liza Masa of Gabriela for NAPC, and Silvestre Bello for labor. Duterte may refuse to openly acknowledge this, but it is undeniable that Taguiwalo's appointment was his attempt of offering goodwill to the Communists so they will consider laying down their arms. On top of this, Duterte does something totally unexpected, something that would have been unthinkable during the term of his predecessors - he released the Tiamzon couple from detention and allowed them to fly to Oslo to join in the peace talks.

In short, Duterte gave so much too soon to the left. Instead of reciprocating his acts of goodwill, Sison and his cabal took advantage of Duterte's generosity and clamored for more. They wanted the President to release ALL left-aligned political prisoners. They made this blatantly unilateral demand as they held the government hostage by continuously threatening to attack government forces. And when Duterte refused to budge, they unleashed their assets and proceeded to attack and ambush unknowing government peacekeepers. Not only has Sison and his cabal of like-minded communists reduced themselves to plain banditry, they have become duplicitous extortionists who thrive in treachery and deceit. During his last State of the Nation Address, Digong did not mince words to hide his displeasure with the left. He verbally attacked Joma Sison, cursed at him, and blamed him for the breakdown of the peace talks. Duterte tried. But Sison and company are just a bunch of insufferable spoiled brats who throw deadly tantrums if they do not get what they want.

Duterte's spokespersons can skirt the issue and simply say that Taguiwalo's rejection is out of the President's hands but it is difficult to imagine that the Commission on Appointments (which was composed mainly of people allied with Duterte) proceeded to act with seeming impunity without Digong's green light and imprimatur. Among the notable members of the bicameral contingent that are extremely close to the President are Cynthia Villar (replacing Alan Cayetano), Koko Pimentel, Manny Pacquiao, Vicente Sotto, Ping Lacson, Bambol Tolentino and Antonio Floirendo. All Digong has to do is tell these people - "sige palusutin nyo yan" and these senators and congressmen will surely not waste time confirming Taguiwalo. If you were these people, would you seriously risk incurring the ire of the most powerful person in the land? The senators can play their games but the congressmen? We think not. Palace spinsters like Abella and Andanar can go tell it to the marines.

This was the exact same reason why Gina Lopez was rejected despite her seemingly sterling credentials. Lopez's appointment to the DENR was a calculated political move made by the President to keep the Lopezes at bay. The Lopezes own the biggest TV network in the country which happens to be clearly against Duterte. Perhaps, he thought, bringing Gina Lopez in can serve two purposes in one stroke of the pen. She can address the country's environmental problems especially the mining issue which is close to the President's heart, and at the same time (hopefully) prevent Lopez' family from clawing at him and twisting truths to favor the yellows. But like the reds, the Lopezes are inherently self-serving. They gloated in the fact that one of them made it to the President's circle while they attacked and undermined the President - covertly by supporting and funding the President's enemies like Leni Robredo and the LP, and overtly by using their media clout to continuously paint the President in a negative light. While everybody in social media was bitching over Gina Lopez' similar rejection by the CA, we observed silently and asked ourselves - where was Gina Lopez when her family was attacking the President? The same guy who treated them honorably and even went as far as giving one of their family members a powerful government position? Why was Gina Lopez silent when Leni Robredo spoke to the United Nations and put the country and the government in a bad light?

Perhaps it would also be fair to ask: Where was Judy Taguiwalo when Sison and the communists ambushed those poor policemen as the government was busy fending off terrorists in Marawi? She spoke openly against Marcos' burial despite holding a Cabinet post. Why did she not do the same when her fellow communists were killing government peacekeepers in broad daylight?

You have to understand the President's predicament. His power and authority are being undermined (albeit indirectly) by powerful forces behind his appointees. He graciously accommodated people like Lopez and Taguiwalo and welcomed them to his fold. Yet while the Lopezes and the communists were busy bashing Duterte and destabilizing his government, Gina Lopez, Taguiwalo and the other leftist appointees were all curiously silent. You cannot straddle two sides and serve two masters and two interests at the same time. Lopez and Taguiwalo were a part of the official government family but when conflicts came to the fore, and they kept their silence amidst attacks to the government by their original patrons and allies, it became clear where their loyalties lie.

We are not saying this to exonerate those pricks in the CA and free them from blame. Curse at them all you want. But look at the bigger picture and an entirely different scenario will begin to unravel. This government is waging war on two fronts. It is battling enemies not only from the outside, but also from within. It is fighting for its survival. And at a time when our country is besieged by powerful forces from all directions without respite, absolute loyalty from all of the President's appointees is no longer a matter of choice, it has to be an absolute imperative.

It is rather unfortunate that exemplary government officials like Judy Taguiwalo and Ka Paeng Mariano (who we are one hundred percent sure will suffer the exact same fate) are caught in the crossfire between their boss in Malacañang and their other bosses in the communist party. Such a waste of good talent. The country needed more people like her and less of those self-serving ornaments who rejected her appointment.

Judy Taguiwalo should go silently for now and accept her dilemma. Her silence made her complicit to her party's excesses. She should have stepped up and defended her government when it mattered most. She should have spoken openly against her party's numerous acts of subterfuge. She should have condemned Sison whan it was clear that Sison erred. Yet she did not. She made the choice and literally suffered the consequences of her own acts. She is equally to blame for her present disposition.

Furthermore, Judy should run for the senate in 2019. By then we will see if the people foaming in the mouth about her rejection in the CA would be substantial enough to give her a clear mandate. If she gets elected, that'll be a first for her party. If she doesn't, and she suffers the same fate as Casiño, Beltran, Satur Ocampo, Maza and many other comrades who failed to win popular support and beat clowns like Sotto and Lapid, that only means one thing: her political affiliation to the Communist Party is more of a liability than an asset. We believe Judy Taguiwalo has what it takes to win - but she has to come to her senses and leave Sison and the CPP to bite the dust and rot in ignominy.

Taguiwalo has to break free from the shackles that tied her for so long to a dying party suffering from obsolescence. She has to come on her own. And be of real service to the people.