(Eagle News) — The Palace on Monday, Aug. 20, thanked Liza Maza for her service, but questioned why she “had to connect peace talks” with her job as National Anti-Poverty Commission chair.
“The President gave them that opportunity and she decided to leave. Wala namang nagpapaalis sa kanya,” he said.
According to Roque, “it would’ve been a perfect opportunity for the Left to show that they can lead.”
He noted Maza’s accomplishments as NAPC chair, pointing at surveys that showed that less Filipinos rated themselves as hungry.
“Lumabas din yung mga programa, although this one program was pursuant to a bill I filed in Congress, the feeding program, which definitely would have a positive impact on poverty,” he said.
“We always regret when people who enjoy the trust and confidence of the president leave their post, but I’m sure there will be other applicants to the post,” he added.
Maza resigned on Monday, Aug. 20, days after she and several others were cleared of the killing of Anakbayan supporters by a Nueva Ecija court.
According to Maza, although the charges against her have been dismissed, the incident took a toll on the work she was pursuing at the NAPC.
Apart from the government’s cancellation of peace talks with the Communists, she noted Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and the Marcos family’s return at the forefront of politics in the country as reasons for her resignation.