Opposition slams Aquino’s power-share arrangement

Posted on | May 7, 2010 | No Comments

DEPOSED President Joseph Estrada attacked presidential frontrunner Benigno Aquino III on Thursday, saying his plan to share up to 80 percent of his powers with his vice president if he won showed a lack of preparation for the presidency.

Estrada said Aquino’s statement, made in a press conference Wednesday, made it appear he would be overdependent on his vice president in running the affairs of government, which was not a sign of good leadership.

“As President, you alone exercise the powers of the executive, although you can delegate your functions to your Cabinet members. You have to take responsibility for all your decisions, major or minor.

You cannot blame your vice president or any underling if something goes wrong,” he told the Manila Standard.

Estrada again also criticized Aquino for acting as if he were already the winner of the presidential election. “Please do not be so presumptuous as to claim victory in the upcoming elections,” he said, addressing Aquino.

PMP senatorial bet J.V. Bautista said that while the vice president was traditionally given a Cabinet portfolio, there was strictly no power-sharing.

“The Office of the President is one whole and its integrity cannot be distributed at any point because the President is the Chief Executive. Noynoy does not know the nature of that office. Most likely, he did not pay enough attention to the workings of the presidency during the time that his mother [the late President Corazon Aquino] was the chief executive,” he said.

Bautista said Aquino’s statement implied that he “does not intend to be a full-time, 100 percent President.”

“He does not have sufficient experience to handle the job. He is conceding a greater portion of the job of the President to the vice president,” he said.

Another senatorial aspirant, Agusan del Sur Rep. Rodolfo Plaza, said Aquino’s statement could be intended to appease his running mate Manuel Roxas II after some of his allies openly campaigned for former Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay as vice president.

Plaza said his understanding was that the Liberal Party tandem had a pre-election agreement that Roxas would have the prerogative to put his people in 60 percent of Cabinet positions.

“They are quarreling over that. Even now, Noynoy [Aquino] is facing a lot of problems because there are many power blocs in his camp. One bloc would try to overpower the other blocs and that is giving him problems,” Plaza said.

Senator Jinggoy Estrada said Aquino was paying a debt of gratitude to Roxas, who gave up his own presidential ambition to make way for him.

Former senator Francisco Tatad added: “The President sits on top of everyone. His powers are not to be shared with anyone. If he takes a leave, there is an acting president and that is the vice president.”

http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideNews.htm?f=2010/may/7/news1.isx&d=2010/may/7

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