“Although I was wholly prepared to relinquish my post, I am grateful for the president’s expression of his continuing trust and confidence in my leadership of the department. I have thus chosen to defer to his better judgment and stay,” Abad said.
Abad's resignation was rejected by President Benigno Aquino III on Friday, saying that accepting it was tantamount to acknowledging a mistake on Abad's end regarding his involvement with the DAP.
The Budget secretary admitted that the move meant he was taking responsibility for the DAP controversy following the Supreme Court's ruling that declared parts of the program unconstitutional.
Full responsibility
“I take full responsibility for my role in developing and implementing the DAP, as well as for the impact of the resulting controversy on the Administration’s governance agenda. It was therefore only fitting that I resign,” Abad said.
But Aquino said he believes the program has proved beneficial to the country’s economy and the administration’s thrust of rapid and inclusive growth.
In the statement, Abad reassured the public “that we will proceed with a keener awareness of the standards against which our work will be measured.”
He also said he will be more meticulous in implementing future programs in the Department of Budget.
'Gimmick'
Kabataan party-list Rep. Terry Ridon, who has accused Abad of plunder at the Office of the Ombudsman, said, however that the secretary's resignation was "an insincere resignation as it [was] not irrevocable."
He said it was similar to Energy Secretary Carlos Jericho Petilla's resignation last December, which Aquino also rejected. Petilla resigned after failing to meet a self-imposed deadline to restore power to typhoon-damaged areas in the Visayas by Christmas. — Andrei Medina/JDS, GMA News
Source: Top Stories - Google News
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