Cimatu is very bad replacement for Gina Lopez—Joma

“Si Gina mas magaling pa rin (Gina is still better [than Cimatu]),” said the Chief Political Consultant of the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) and the Founding Chairperson of Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) Jose Maria or Joma Sison in a Facebook live video posted in the NDFP account.

He said this after saying former military chief Roy Cimatu is a very bad substitute for Gina Lopez as Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary.

Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol posted in Facebook photos of Cimatu being sworn in by Duterte today.

This was later confirmed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.

Cimatu’s track record and Duterte’s approach

“Sangkot sa Oplan Bantay Laya na pumatay sa marami, sangkot din sa corruption case (Involved in Oplan Bantay Laya that killed many, involved also in a corruption case),” said Sison of Cimatu.

Cimatu was chief of the 4th Infantry Division based in Cagayan de Oro when deposed president Joseph Estrada launched all-out war in 2000. He was head of Southcom and was the 29th Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Chief of Staff under the presidency of Gloria Arroyo.

“Isang factor, kung ‘di man iyon ang pinakamalaki, napagdugtong-dugtong ni Duterte yung Visayan vote, vote ng Marcos area, yung following ni Arroyo at Estrada. May populist approach siya. Pero nagtiwala rin siya sa mga tampok na lider na may bailiwick. Si Cimatu taga-Bangui, Ilocos [Norte] iyan. Galing sa Marcos bailiwick (One factor, if not the biggest, Duterte was able to join the Visayan vote, Marcos area vote, the following of Arroyo and Estrada. He has a populist approach. But he relied on known leaders with bailiwicks. Cimatu is from Bangui, Ilocos. From the Marcos bailiwick),” said Sison.

Sison said that Cimatu is not good for the environment because as a military man, he would give emphasis on the investment defense force (IDF) as the military continue to do.

Environmental advocates and activists, church people, academe, youth, farmers, Moro and indigenous groups in Mindanao have decried the use of IDF to facilitate the entry and/or to protect the interests of foreign large-scale mining and pesticides-dependent monocrop plantation companies. Massive military deployment and operations were the actual implementation of the IDF, where the AFP acted like private armies of big mining companies that the groups tagged as ‘environment plunderers.’

“Makikita na ang hugis at esensya ng Duterte cabinet ngayong matatapos na ang isang taon matapos siyang manalo (We will now see the shape and the essence of the Duterte cabinet one year after he won the presidency),” said Sison.

Gina rejection reveals nature of Congress

“Palatandaan iyan, na ‘pag ganyang klase ang kongreso, tumatanggi sa mabuting appointment na ginawa ni Duterte, ibig sabihin ano nang maaasahan mo sa legislation to enable the government of the Philippines to carry out its obligations through legislation (That is a sign, that if the Congress rejects a good appointment done by Duterte, what legislation could be expected of them to enable the government to carry out its obligations through legislation),” said Sison of the rejection of Lopez by the Commission on Appointments (CA).

Sison said a legislation is needed to realize the agreements to be made on social and economic reforms, the current agenda of the peace talks between the Government of the Philippines (GRP) and the NDFP.

“Halimbawa land reform, kung walang i-appropriate na pondo ang Congress, ‘di sang-ayon, walang mangyayari diyan. (For example, in land reform, if Congress does not appropriate funds, if they don’t agree, nothing will come of it.),” said Sison.

Sison said it’s a douse of cold water to whatever will happen.

He also said that he will wait and see what happens to the appointments of Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo and Agrarian Reform Secretary Ka Paeng Mariano.

Taguiwalo and Mariano were appointed by Duterte in the positions he first offered to the CPP. The CPP deferred the offer to a list of progressives in the legal mass movement they recommended to Duterte.

Both appointments of Taguiwalo and Mariano has been bypassed twice by Congress and, like the case of Lopez, would be subjected to a vote of the CA to know whether they will be confirmed or have to be replaced.

“Sa palagay ko, problema ni Duterte paano niya mapangibabawan at matupad niya ang kanyang mga pangako (I think Duterte’s predicament is how he will rise above and be able to fulfill his promises),” concluded Sison on the topic.