A day after his proclamation as president elect, Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte has scheduled his first meeting with his Cabinet here the presidential guest house in the south.
The Cabinet meeting will take place at the presidential guest house or “Malacañang of the South” built on the equipment yard of the Department of Public Works and Highways compound at Barangay Panacan.
Among those who arrived as of press time are Las Piñas Rep. Mark Villar, Duterte’s choice for Public Works Secretary; Duterte’s security adviser Hermogenes Esperon, the former Armed Forces Chief of Staff under the Arroyo administration; incoming Presidential Security Group commander Col. Rolando Bautista; chosen Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea; and Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas chair and former Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano, who was being considered for the post of Agrarian Reform secretary.
A source said Duterte called up Mariano to join his Cabinet meeting.
The president-elect also called up University of the Philippines professor and activist Judy Taguiwalo for the meeting, the source said, adding that Taguiwalo also arrived for the meeting.
Taguiwalo is being considered to head the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Taguiwalo and Mariano were nominated by the National Democratic Front of the Philippines as their suggestions for members of the Duterte Cabinet.
Duterte had wanted members of the leftist groups to be part of his Cabinet in a bid to put an end to the decades-long communist insurgency.
Duterte will hold the meeting a day after Congress proclaimed him as president-elect, the ceremonial proclamation Duterte opted to skip to do his chores as Davao city mayor instead.
According to the Congress’ canvassing of votes which only took three days, Duterte sealed the presidency with 16,601,997 votes in the official count, or over six million ahead of second placer the Liberal Party candidate Manuel “Mar” Roxas II.
Meanwhile, vice president-elect Leni Robredo won with 14,418,817 votes or just 263,473 votes apart from her closest rival Sen. Bongbong Marcos who got 14,155,344. Marcos’ camp is mulling an electoral protest, alleging massive cheating. CDG
by Marc Jayson Cayabyab of Inquirer
