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Malacañang defended the appointment
of former Sen. Ralph Recto to the National Economic and Development
Authority (NEDA), appealing to critics to give the former lawmaker a
chance to prove his worth.
Palace Deputy
spokesperson Lorelie Fajardo said President Gloria Arroyo’s move
to designate Recto to head the NEDA should be viewed as a gain for
the administration and the government.
“He is a
competent economist. His background as an economist and politician
will augur well in his performance of his duties. He will give a
rich political perspective of the aspiration of the masa and the
ordinary folk, having served as senator of the land,” Fajardo said
in a statement.
“His having
authored the VAT [value-added tax] law puts him in the rare position
of actually lending the proper advice on issues surrounding VAT. Who
better to advise the President on VAT matters, to give her the
necessary inputs on how to use VAT, or even how to amend VAT, to
help our people in these trying times of world economic concerns,”
Fajardo said.
On Thursday,
heads and senior executives of the Philippines’ largest companies
expressed disapproval on Recto’s appointment to the helm of the
country’s socioeconomic planning body.
In a radio
interview, Makati Business Club executive director Alberto Lim said
that Recto has no extensive experience in economics and may find it
difficult to head the NEDA.
Lim said Mrs.
Arroyo should have appointed a true economist, noting that Recto is
not really an economist. He also expressed concern that Recto may be
easily influenced by Malacañang’s decisions even if these are
against the law.
---Angelo S. Samonte
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