For the third time, the Commission on Appointments’ Foreign Relations panel deferred deliberations on the ad interim appointment of Bienvenido Tejano as Philippine Ambassador to Papua New Guinea.

During Wednesday’s deliberation, Tejano, who will have concurrent jurisdiction over the Republic of Kiribati and the Solomon Islands, failed anew to get the nod of the powerful constitutional body.

“We will tackle again the confirmation of Ambassador Tejano next week,” said Senator Jinggoy Estrada, who chairs the commission. He said the next panel meeting on Tejano’s confirmation will be on 22 March.

He made the announcement after the panel deliberated in an executive session for more than two hours.

Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito had moved to proceed to an executive session to tackle the nomination of Tejano “due to the sensitive nature of the opposition” to the latter’s confirmation.

The panel deliberated on Tejano’s nomination for the first time last February. This was deferred, however, as was his confirmation on 8 March.

During the earlier hearings, Tejano was asked by the panel about allegations of sexual assault on a Filipina household staff member. He denied the allegations.

Teehankee, 2 others confirmed
Unlike Tejano, the CA confirmed the ad interim appointments of Manuel Antonio Javier Teehankee as permanent Ambassador to the World Trade Organization; Rodillo Rivera as career minister, and Joyce Marison Camacho Quivooij, Foreign Service Officer, Class I.

Teehankee’s confirmation was also deferred by the commission last week pending his submission of documents that had been signed to settle the trade disputes between the Philippines and Thailand.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reappointed him to the same position last February.

Teehankee, who is a lawyer, held the same position in the administrations of former Presidents Rodrigo Duterte and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.