By: Argyll Cyrus B. Geducos
Vice President Leni G. Robredo led a Twitter poll conducted by Presidential Communications Operations Office Assistant Secretary Margaux “Mocha” Uson on who should replace Secretary Judy Taguiwalo at the Department of Social Welfare and Development.
Presidential spokesperson Ernesto Abella said that President Duterte is unlikely to appoint Robredo based on her overwhelming lead in the poll.
“I’m sure the President has other ways of measuring a candidate’s capability aside from surveys. The President has a different set of categories,” Abella said during the Mindanao Hour press briefing yesterday.
The Palace official added that it would be difficult to appoint Robredo to the post vacated by Taguiwalo after the Vice President’s resignation as chairperson of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council last December.
“Perhaps, there might be conditionalities that may not be too favorable regarding that. I don’t know. It all depends on the President,” Abella said.
“For the plain and simple reason that for example, she has already resigned from the, you know, she’s, that particular job is a Cabinet level job,” he added.
“I mean, I’m not saying no for Leni. I’m just saying that it seems to be a difficult choice.”
Abella said Duterte has not yet selected the replacement of Taguiwalo or has appointed an officer-in-charge at the DSWD.
Uson held a poll on Twitter Thursday asking who should replace Taguiwalo at the DSWD.
The choices were Robredo, DSWD Assistant Secretary Loraine Badoy, former Tarlac Rep. Monica Prieto-Teodoro, and “others (name pls).”
Robredo led the 24-hour poll, getting 82 percent of 12,166 votes as of 2:25 p.m. yesterday.
Second to Robredo were others with 10 percent; Badoy with six percent; and Teodoro, wife of former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, with two percent.