Bro. Eddie's son to head TESDA; Etta likely CHR

President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III has picked the son of religious leader and defeated presidential aspirant Bro. Eddie Villanueva to head the Technical Education Skills and Development Authority (TESDA).

Aquino confirmed Tuesday night that former Citizens' Battle Against Corruption (CIBAC) party-list Rep. Joel Villanueva, who represented the party-list group in Congress for three terms, will be TESDA's new director-general.

Aquino also said former Akbayan party-list Rep. Loretta Ann "Etta" Rosales would most likely be appointed to head the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) replacing Leila de Lima, who is now Justice secretary.

"Si Etta malamang (Etta probably)," Aquino said when asked who would be appointed to the CHR.

Rosales was a representative of Akbayan — a partylist group that supported Aquino during the campaign for the May 2010 elections — from 1998 to 2007. Her possible appointment has irked human rights group Karapatan, which claimed that Rosales once supported a compromise deal with the Marcoses.

Rosales led human rights victims who won a class suit against the late President Ferdinand Marcos in the Hawaii District Court in the United States. The court found Marcos guilty of human rights violations and ordered him to pay the victims some $1.9 billion in damages.

Aquino said lawyer Andy Bautista is being considered as solicitor-general, Justice undersecretary, or for a position in the Department of Tourism.

Aquino said Executive Secretary Paquito "Jojo" Ochoa Jr. and Presidential Management Staff head Julia Abad are helping him make decisions on the appointments.

He said Vice President Jejomar Binay, who had earlier refused the positions offered to him by Aquino, should immediately make up his mind whether he'll accept a Cabinet position.

"May binigay akong limang choices sa kanya, maski alin dito. So may nagtanong. Nagre-reconsider daw. Pero pakibilisan lang niya. Nababawasan na ang inalok ko, kailangan ko talaga ng tao. Katulad ng MMDA. Di ba sa kanila rin ang flooding?" Aquino said.

(I gave him five choices. Somebody asked him, and apparently he's reconsidering. But he must hurry up, because I need to fill up the positions. The MMDA for example needs to have a head because it's in charge of flooding.)

Binay, who served as Makati mayor before he was elected vice president, has said that his refusal of a Cabinet post is not yet final.

He has expressed intention to head the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), but the position was given to former Naga City mayor Jesse Robredo.

Source: GmaNews