It’s make or break for Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo on Wednesday as she faces the powerful Commission on Appointments for her third and last confirmation hearing.
Taguiwalo, whose confirmation was bypassed for the second time by the CA last May, said she has proven her mettle to be confirmed by the congressional body.
“We have done our best to serve the Filipino people by leading the DSWD with honesty and efficiency and compassion,” Taguiwalo said in a Twitter post.
“We have worked very hard to carry out our duties to help the poor and those in need. We stood against corruption and against waste of resources,” she added.
One of at least four leftists in the Duterte Cabinet, Taguiwalo is a former University of the Philippines professor and a longtime activist who was imprisoned during martial law under then-President Ferdinand Marcos.
Two other Cabinet officials, Agrarian Reform Secretary Rafael Mariano and Health Secretary Paulyn Ubial, are still awaiting their confirmation hearings.
Taguiwalo’s first confirmation hearing last May 3 sparked outrage as Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III practically insulted her status as a single mother.
Taguiwalo was supposed to face CA members for the second time last May 17, but the hearing was rescheduled for the following week.
The delay of her confirmation “is a form of torture,” Taguiwalo said then, as she faced supporters who trooped to the Senate to show their support.
The CA members deferred her confirmation after the first hearing on May 3, questioning her ties to the Communist Party of the Philippines. She said that while the CPP endorsed her appointment to President Rodrigo Duterte, she is not a member of the party.
Davao Oriental 2nd District Rep. Joel Almario, a CA member, said the May 17 hearing was postponed due to lack of time.
Taguiwalo expressed disappointment after the second postponement, saying: “I am really disappointed, but they have their reasons so I’ll just wait and see. Our service will continue nonetheless, an empathic kind of service free from corruption.”
“Confirmed or not, as long as President Duterte trusts me, I will continue to serve,” she added.
Taguiwalo’s first CA hearing was scheduled on Feb. 15, but it was postponed until she was bypassed when Congress went on session break in March.
Duterte reappointed her in April, as the President can reappoint a bypassed official without limit.
The CA, however, has already rejected two presidential appointees: Former Foreign Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. and former Environment secretary Gina Lopez.