Bersamin: No Admin Order for Presidential Chief of Staff
Several online verifications through the Official Gazette — the official journal of the Republic of the Philippines — showed no AO 1 posted on its website.
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Several online verifications through the Official Gazette — the official journal of the Republic of the Philippines — showed no AO 1 posted on its website.
There is reportedly no Administrative Order 1 creating the Office of the Presidential Chief of Staff for resigned Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez.
This, according to a report by veteran broadcaster Anthony Taberna, in his social media program "Uncutunying" on 30 September.
Quoting newly-appointed Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Taberna said the former replied "Yes" to his text message that read "No more AO 1?"
Bersamin's reply to Taberna corroborated the statement of former Presidential spokesperson, Atty. Harry Roque, in his Facebook vlog "The Spox Hour" on 29 September, said AO 1 did not get the approval of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos.
"I have not heard any news that AO 1 has been signed. If at all, I heard that the President did not approve AO 1," Roque said in Filipino.
Since Mr. Marcos' return from his 6-day United States trip on 18 September, reporters were agog at the AO 1 that Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles, in an earlier press statement, said was already signed by the Chief Executive.
Several online verifications through the Official Gazette — the official journal of the Republic of the Philippines — showed no AO 1 posted on its website.
Roque said AO 1 runs against the President's policy of rightsizing the bureaucracy instead of expanding it.
"This is why TESDA (Technical Education and Skills Development Authority) is no longer a separate Cabinet position, it is now under DoLE. They are streamlining the different agencies of the government," he said.
He added that it would be inconsistent to create another office because there is already the Office of the Executive Secretary.
He shared Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile's opinion that OPCOS is duplicitous and redundant.
"The power of the Chief of Staff under AO 1 is the same as that of the Executive Secretary," Roque added. "Work and power are the same except that the PCS will not go through the confirmation process."
Rewind to the Office of the Press Secretary's statement on 17 September, Angeles said AO 1 takes effect immediately.
Her statement came a few hours after Rodriguez announced that he has asked the President's permission to step down but will be his Chief of Staff.
"The OPCOS shall have the primary function of supervising and ensuring the efficient and responsive day-to-day operational support to the Presidency to enable the President to focus on strategic national concerns," Angeles said of AO 1, which will reportedly provide for the PCS to have the rank and emoluments of a Cabinet secretary.
"The PCS will be assisted by a senior deputy chief of staff with the rank of secretary and two deputy chiefs of staff with the rank of undersecretary, assistant secretaries, and such number of directorial and other administrative staff as he deems necessary and upon the approval of the President," she added.
The immediate staff of the PCS will reportedly come from abolished agencies such as the Office of the Cabinet Secretary and the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission.
Face-saving measure?
As provided for in AO 1, the OES shall continue its supervision, control, and oversight function over all the agencies and offices under and attached to the OP under Executive Order 1.
AO 1 provided for the Presidential Management Staff and OPS to assist and support the PCS, whose office will serve as the coordination mechanism of the Office of the President. It will be in charge of the President's security monitoring system, which shall be responsible for providing regular situation reports to the President on a real-time basis.
The OPCOS will also supervise and coordinate closely with the PMS as the primary government agency directly responsible for providing substantive staff assistance in the Presidential exercise of the overall management of the development process, and with Presidential advisers and assistants whose outputs shall be submitted to the President through the OPCOS copy furnished to the Executive Secretary.
Rodriguez's resignation statement came a day after an unofficial document circulated online — a memorandum signed by Enrile for President Marcos Jr. dated 15 September.
The 5-page document, which was received by the Office of the President on the same day, was Enrile's legal opinion on the two draft proposals from Rodriguez — A Special Order titled "Granting Authority to the Presidential Chief of Staff", and an Administrative Order "Creating the Office of the Presidential Chief of Staff and Rationalizing the System and Accountabilities in the Line and Staff Offices of the Office of the President."
Also bearing his signature on each page, and had a 'received stamp' by the OP at around 2:14 p.m. of the same day, Enrile did not recommend the approval of the proposed AO and SO resurrecting the Presidential Chief of Staff as it will necessarily confuse and even inevitably cause rifts among the different offices under the OP.
