NEWLY designated Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla will appear before the bicameral Commission on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday, November 20, for his confirmation hearing.
“There’s a high chance that Secretary Remulla will be confirmed on the spot, given that we are less than six months away from the 2025 mid-term elections,” CA Assistant Minority Leader and Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel said in a statement on Sunday.
“We need the DILG’s peace and order functions as we approach the campaign period and the May 12 elections. The country is prone to spikes in violent incidents around election time,” Pimentel stated.
The DILG chief supervises the Philippine National Police (PNP), among other agencies that are responsible for ensuring public safety and enhancing local government capability to deliver basic services.
Pimentel said that the CA’s Committee on the Interior and Local Government chaired by Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri has scheduled Remulla’s confirmation hearing at 10 a.m. on Wednesday.
Remulla resigned as Cavite governor when President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed him to head the DILG on October 8.
He succeeded Benjamin Abalos Jr., who resigned as DILG secretary to run for a Senate seat in the upcoming elections.
Remulla is the younger brother of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla.
Meanwhile, Pimentel said that the CA’s Committee on Constitutional Commissions and Offices chaired by Sen. Cynthia Villar will also hold on Wednesday its confirmation hearing on the appointment of Marilyn Barua-Yap as Chairperson of the Civil Service Commission (CSC).
Under the Constitution, the 25-member CA is empowered to vet the competence, fitness, and integrity of key presidential appointees and to approve or reject them.
The CA is composed of 12 members each from the House of Representatives and the Senate, with the Senate President serving as ex-officio presiding officer.
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