Primus Inter Pares

Tuesday, 12 October 2010 00:00

Written by Malou Tiquia

Primus inter pares is a Latin word that means the 'first among equals' or the 'first among peers.' Paquito Ochoa Jr., a 50-year-old lawyer, is the Executive Secretary of BSA3. Known as the “Little President,” Ochoa is the youngest executive secretary in the annals of history among Executive Secretaries. He also appears to have the least experience and academic advancement.

One cannot be primus inter pares if he lacks both academic preparation and experience because he is team captain in the cabinet and last line of defense for the president. To some, the Executive Secretary is mere “glorified clerk.” A paper pusher, ensuring that the flow of papers are in sync and all documents that need to be attended to by the President is made. For others, the ES is the integrator of various processes in the Office of the President.

Under the Administrative Code of 1987, Section 27 states that the Executive Secretary shall, subject to the control and supervision of the President, carry out the functions assigned by law to the Executive Office and shall perform such other duties as may be delegated to him. He shall: ? (1) Directly assist the President in the management of the affairs pertaining to the GRP; (2) Implement presidential directives, orders and decisions; ?(3) Decide, for and in behalf of the President, matters not requiring personal presidential attention; ?(4) Exercise supervision and control over the various units in the Office of the President Proper including their internal administrative requirements; ?(5) Exercise supervision, in behalf of the President, over the various agencies under the Office of the President; ?(6) Appoint officials and employees of the Office of the President whose appointments are not vested in the President; ?(7) Provide overall coordination in the operation of the Executive Office; ?(8) Determine and assign matters to the appropriate units in the Office of the President; ?(9) Have administrative responsibility for matters in the Office of the President coming from the various departments and agencies of government; ?(10) Exercise primary authority to sign papers "By authority of the President", attest executive orders and other presidential issuances unless attestation is specifically delegated to other officials by him or by the President; ?(11) Determine, with the President's approval, the appropriate assignment of offices and agencies not placed by law under any specific executive department; ?(12) Provide consultative, research, fact-finding and advisory service to the President; ?(13) Assist the President in the performance of functions pertaining to legislation; ?(14) Assist the President in the administration of special projects; ?(15) Take charge of matters pertaining to protocol in State and ceremonial functions; ?(16) Provide secretarial and clerical services for the President, the Cabinet, the Council of State, and other advisory bodies to the President ?(17) Promulgate such rules and regulations necessary to carry out the objectives, policies and functions of the Office of the President Proper; ?(18) Perform such other functions as the President may direct.

The Executive Secretary is the highest ranking official serving in the cabinet of the Philippines. He signs for and on behalf of the President and in official executive rulemaking, he signs the document together with the President. The Office of the Secretary to the President was established on January 30, 1936. It became the Office of the Executive Secretary under President Elpidio Quirino.

Outstanding names with primed academic and professional experience were the common denominator for people occupying said position. From Jorge Vargas (Quezon); Manuel Roxas, Arturo Rotor (Laurel); Jose Reyes (Osmena); Teodoro Evangelista (Quirino); Rafael Salas, Alejandro Melchor (Marcos); Joker Arroyo, Catalino Macaraeg, and Franklin Drilon (Aquino); Peter Garrucho, Ruben Torres, Eduardo Ermita (Ramos); Ronaldo Zamora and Edgardo Angara (Estrada); Renato De Villa, Eduardo Ermita and Leandro Mendoza (Arroyo).

Lets look at what Ochoa has and how BSA3 should have not be in this state of slow drag had there been someone doing the work 24/7 in a clinical manner instead of being the source of bottlenecks in operations. When Ochoa was appointed by BSA3, a chorus of who floated the air. Majority of the kibitzers were saying the Liberal Party is the party in governance and yet Malacanang, the seat of power, where the experienced and prepared need to be posted, was closed territory to them. Was it because of the Balay-Samar inability to have a detante?

It appears that familiarity, trust and having worked with Ochoa when BSA3 was a representative in the House clinched the position for him. An Economics graduate from the University of Santo Tomas and law at the Ateneo School of Law, Ochoa joined the Bar in 1986. Doing pro-bono work in the province where his father was a mayor, Ochoa became Director and then Vice President of the Bulacan Chapter of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines. He also engaged in private practice and served as partner of the De Mesa and Ochoa Law Offices and later partner (on leave) in the Marcos Ochoa Serapio Tan Law Firm.

The Aquino and Ochoa families are close because of the friendship of the the late Sen. Ninoy Aquino with the senior Ochoa, the former mayor of Pulilan, Bulacan. Because of this, Aquino tapped Ochoa to handle his legal affairs in 1998, the first time he ran for public position. In 2001, when then Rep. Feliciano “Sonny” Belmonte, Jr. ran for mayor, Atty. Ochoa headed his legal team. Mayor Belmonte then made Atty. Ochoa his right-hand man and later formally appointed him City Administrator in 2003. Ochoa is also married to the sister of a construction firm known as San Jose Builders, a firm that catered to socialized housing buyers and later has shifted to high end condominiums. There are also talks in Quezon City that Ochoa does not only play the role of Administrator there but reportedly handles some bag matters. Allegedly, there are some interlocking associations with certain construction firms that handled major infra projects of the City.

As now Senator Frank Drilon once said, “While the post of the Executive Secretary is informally known as the “Little President” and even if the Administrative Code clearly outlines the functions of the Executive Secretary, the “character” of the individual holding the position depends largely on the management style of the President. Widely thought of as the presidential alter ego, the Executive Secretary frequently finds himself in a delicate position as he carries out the decisions of the President and acts as a buffer for the President absorbing the shock of an impact of an adverse public opinion resulting from some unpopular executive act or reducing friction between antagonists.

Ochoa’s first act was to set the first cabinet agenda. By policy and practice, it is the so-called Cabsec (integrated to PMS) that sets agenda. A mis step that can be allowed. But his “sterling legal acumen” saw the crafting of Memorandum Circular No. 1 and later on amended but still remained MC No. 1 --proof of something beyond erudition. Then we have the first three Executive Orders, all pending before the Supreme Court.

We hope he blooms in his job and evolve according to the great men who paved the way before him.

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