Resigned Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez has been expelled from the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), the group which carried President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s candidacy in the 2022 elections.
The Manila Times reported that the political party voted to remove the abogado from their ranks for “disloyalty” and committing “acts inimical to the party” over complaints filed by three ranking PFP members from the Bangsamoro region named Jammal “Bong” Amin. AlRasheed Sakkalahul, and Edifar “Papay” Ladjhali.
Their main beef against Rodriguez, who was Marcos Jr’s campaign spokesman and right-hand man until last September, had been his vigorous backing for the appointment of FastCat owner Christopher Pastrana as general manager of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).
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The complainants said Rodriguez used his clout over Marcos to push for Pastrana’s “highly questionable” appointment, citing conflict of interest as he owns one of the country’s biggest ferry and shipping services. They also pointed out that FastCat still owed P132 million to the Department of Transportation, a debt which would practically be written off if Pastrana went on to lead PPA.
Pastrana did get appointed to the regulatory agency, but it appears he was unable to actually occupy the position.
“In the 77 days that he was in office, Rodriguez’s tenure was marked by chaos, confusion, disorder, intrigue, instability, nepotism, charges of appointments-for-sale, ‘empire building’ and plotting against his perceived detractors,” the complainants said. “His first executive order, firing some 4,000 government employees without providing for their replacements, was a disaster. What followed was confusion and paralysis in government service.”
Rodriguez had his own personal stake in Pastrana’s appointment as his wife’s relative is apparently related to Pastrana’s business partner Dennis Trajano, according to the report.
The complaint also cited Rodriguez’s desperate attempt to stay in power by creating the Office of the Presidential Chief of Staff, an idea which presidential legal counsel Juan Ponce Enrile shut down.
The PFP Arbitration and Executive Committee ruled that Rodriguez is “guilty of breach or loss of trust and confidence, abandonment, disloyalty, and acts inimical to the party.”
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