Cayetano a welcome addition to Duterte’s Cabinet—Palace

Malacañang on Wednesday welcomed the impending confirmation of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano as Foreign Affairs Secretary, saying that his knowledge and expertise would benefit the Department of Foreign Affairs. (Photo: Alan Peter Cayetano/Facebook)

MANILA—Malacañang on Wednesday welcomed the impending confirmation of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano as Foreign Affairs Secretary, saying that his knowledge and expertise would benefit the Department of Foreign Affairs.

“Secretary Cayetano is a welcome addition to President Rodrigo Duterte’s official family,” Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement.

He pointed out that Cayetano’s efforts in the Senate as chair of the Committee on Foreign Relations are proof of the Senator’s deep understanding on foreign relations.

“As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations of the 17th Congress, he authored and co-sponsored the bill extending the validity of the Philippine passport to ten (10) years, and the resolutions concurring in the ratification/accession to the Articles of Agreement of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the Philippine-Japan Agreement on Social Security, and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change,” the Palace official said.

“Secretary Cayetano’s experience and legal acumen shall enrich the leadership of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and promote and enhance our international relations with the countries of the world,” Abella said.

Earlier, Cayetano’s nomination as Foreign Affairs Secretary was swiftly confirmed by a Commission on Appointments (CA) panel.

His appointment is expected to be confirmed by the CA plenary later this afternoon.