Will somebody please explain to former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) deputy director general Carlos Gadapan the ramifications of being appointed to a confidential position in the government?      
Based on the statements he has been giving to the media, Gadapan fervently believes that he was ordered sacked from his post by Malacañang, per an order signed by Executive Secretary Jojo Ochoa, due to the ministrations of PDEA director general Jose Gutierrez. But we’ll delve into that issue a bit later.
In any case, Ochoa’s Dear John to Gadapan cited “loss of confidence” by the Chief Executive as the reason for his being relieved of his duties in the PDEA, the nation’s premier anti-illegal drugs unit.
By the very tenor of Ochoa’s letter, it is quite obvious that Gadapan was the occupant of a position of trust and confidence in the PDEA which falls under the umbrella of the Office of the President.
Sources in the Civil Service Commission (CSC) we’ve consulted tell us that such holder of a confidential posting serves at the pleasure of the appointing authority.
In Gadapan’s case it is President Aquino, and by extension ES Ochoa. This means Gadapan owes his job to the President, thus his stint as deputy director general of the PDEA is entirely dependent on P-Noy’s whim and fancy. Unfortunately for many of his ilk, this is the reality. They are what you call presidential appointees.
If suddenly one morning the President wakes up and decides he doesn’t like the face of Gadapan and then tells Ochoa to get rid of him, then it’s sayonara.
No ifs, buts or maybes. No reason has to be proffered.
According to our CSC sources, a confidential position such as the one Gadapan used to occupy is a totally different animal from the permanent item being enjoyed by some 1.5 million government employees all over the country, in that there is no security of tenure provided.
“Due to the absence of the security of tenure clause in his appointment papers, the holder of a confidential position in government can be fired anytime of the day as he is not entitled to due process, unlike ordinary rank-and-file government workers,” our sources elaborated.
Interviewed by House reporters during a budget hearing on the day Gadapan raged before the press, General Gutierrez said he fully understood what it was like being a political appointee. He said he would be willing to resign “without putting up a fight” if the President told him to do so — unlike Cadapan who is demanding an explanation from the Palace for his unceremonious ouster.
Gadapan’s antics naturally have raised the hackles of some Malacañang officials: “all presidential appointees are aware of the fact that we all serve at the pleasure of the President and that we can be relieved at any point,” deputy presidential spokesman Abigail Valte had declared in a Tribune story.
Secretary Edwin Lacierda defended Ochoa’s decision to sack Gadapan, saying it was “well-studied” and “had basis.”
So there.

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Now, the thing here is that Gadapan, reportedly a retired police officer who had graduated from the Philippine Military Academy, has been going around (to the extent of shedding some tears while being interviewed on national television last week) badmouthing his erstwhile boss PDEA Chief Gutierrez whom he said had orchestrated his demise.
Gadapan said he may have incurred the ire of the PDEA chief due to his temerity in bringing to his boss’ attention the alleged gambling affliction of his (Gutierrez’s) wife. In a Channel 2 interview, a witness claimed Mrs. Gutierrez had racked up debt a P3-million debt and that several of the Bank of Commerce checks she had issued as partial payments had bounced.
Gadapan also alleged Mrs. Gutierrez owed various PDEA officials some P600,000 to sustain her vice, on top of “millions” to unnamed financiers. According to one newspaper, Gadapan claimed she had tried to borrow from him the amount of P300,000 but she came away empty-handed.
However, don’t get me wrong for I have no quarrel at all with these issues being raised by Gadapan in his valedictory delivered before various media outlets due to the implications. After all, if what he is saying is true, Mrs. Gutierrez’s pernicious predilection had it been allowed to fester might have seriously compromised the finances of the agency which are vital in ensuring the success of their various anti-drug activities, including the closure of shabu laboratories infesting Metro Manila, the seizure of several tons of the banned substance which has hooked literally a few million Filipinos and the arrest of those responsible for its spread. The activities of the PDEA are vital in suppressing the drug trade which in recent years has metamorphosed into an estimated P200-billion per year criminal enterprise.    
What’s highly questionable though is the timing of the sensational revelations against Mrs. Gutierrez and ultimately her husband, PDEA chief Gutierrez.
Why is it only now that Gadapan is coming out with these damning allegations? Had he only done so when he was still formally connected with the PDEA, then maybe the charges would have been more palatable.
As things stand right now, he is appearing to be like a woman scorned. Like someone seeking vengeance for being wronged. Sour-graping.
For his part, General Gutierrez has categorically denied all the accusations leveled at his wife, Baby. He said that if ever she did gamble, it wasn’t on the level being alleged by her accuser. It was only at the slots, he said. “Barya-barya lang.”
His unsolicited advice to Gadapan was that he should take whatever evidence he has to support his allegations to the National Bureau of Investigation, which has been tasked by Malacañang to conduct an inquiry, instead of resorting to trial by publicity which is heaping universal embarrassment on the PDEA.