THE COMMISSION on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday, Sept. 6, rejected finally the appointment of Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Secretary Rafael “Ka Paeng” V. Mariano, after repeatedly deferring that matter almost a month after rejecting Judy M. Taguiwalo as Social Welfare secretary. Following the rejection of Mr. Mariano and Ms. Taguiwalo, this leaves Secretary Liza L. Maza of the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) as the only appointee from the Left in President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s Cabinet.

For his part, CA Assistant Majority Floor Leader Senator Vicente C. Sotto III said upon the conclusion of the CA’s deliberations on Mr. Mariano’s appointment, “It is with a heavy heart that I, as chairman of your committee on agrarian reform, hereby respectfully submit the result of the voting of your Committee, which resulted in 13 votes against the confirmation of the ad interim appointment of Mr. Rafael “Ka Paeng” Vitriolo Mariano as Secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform.”

Mr. Mariano, in a prepared speech after his rejection, said: “Ngayong araw, maaring nanaig ang interes ng mga negosyante, panginoong maylupa, at malalaking korporasyon, ngunit darating din ang araw na magsasaka naman ang mananaig. Dadaan ang mga bagyo, ngunit mananatili tayong nakatindig nang matatag sa pamamagitan ng ating matibay na pagkakaisa.” (Today, it appears the interests of businessmen, landlords and big corporations may have prevailed. But time will come when the farmers will prevail. The storm will pass, but we will remain steadfast through our solidarity.)

A former party-list representative of Anakpawis in the House of Representatives, Mr. Mariano was nominated by the National Democratic Front of the Philippines for the position, upon Mr. Duterte’s announcement early in his presidency that he was leaving certain Cabinet positions open to the Left.

During what turned out to be his last CA hearing on Wednesday, Mr. Mariano was questioned by CA Member, Representative Josephine Y. Ramirez Sato about his alleged involvement in the planning of attacks by communist rebels on the Lapanday Group of Companies and the Lorenzo family on April 29, the basis of which was a joint resolution signed, among others, by Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Eduardo M. Año, and Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana.

In response, Mr. Mariano told the CA that he had already denied involvement in the said attacks, calling the accusations baseless and malicious. “Wala pong katotohanan po yan, marahil na bago man lang nilabas yung resolution na yan e nabigyan naman po ako ng pagkakataon na maipaliwanang yung aking panig sa harap mismo ng mga miyembro ng Regional Development Council at Regional Peace and Order Council-Region XI.” (There is no truth to that. Perhaps before that resolution came out, I already had the opportunity to explain my side right before the members of the Regional Development Council and Regional Peace and Order Council-Region XI.) Since his appointment as Agrarian Reform Secretary, Mr. Mariano has implemented not a few orders that became a subject of controversy including those involving the Hacienda Luisita of the Aquino family.

Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto C. Abella, in response, issued a statement that read in part: “Our people will always be grateful to Secretary Mariano for his dedicated and passionate service to the nation.”

CA had previously rejected the administration’s nomination of Regina Paz La’o Lopez as Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Perfecto R. Yasay, Jr. as Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs.

For her part, Ms. Maza said in a statement: “The space for reform has been narrowed to accommodate the few and powerful.”

“NAPC’s anti-poverty agenda, Kilos para sa Sampung Batayang Pangangailangan, identifies genuine agrarian reform as the key to food security, sustainable agriculture, and rural development. It will also lay the foundation for national industrialization that will provide full employment and real wages to Filipinos. NAPC believes that a genuine agrarian reform will address the root cause of the armed conflict and poverty in the country,” she added.

“Today, the Commission on Appointments has chosen to side with few hacienderos over millions of farmers struggling to own the land they till for decades now. With Ka Paeng’s rejection, NAPC’s hope for inclusive governance and reforms has dimmed,” Ms. Maza also said. — Mario M. Banzon

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