Wednesday, June 25, 2008 Aquino considered for DOH, Philhealth post
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO -- Former third district congressman and this city's mayor Rey Aquino is being considered for appointment to the Department of Health (DOH) or Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), according to a reliable source.
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo discussed Aquino's possible appointment to either agency in a meeting with Pampanga congressmen last week before she left for the United States, the source said.
"Aquino is on the President's priority list for appointment to a top government position and the four Pampanga lawmakers had all supported the President's plan," the source revealed.
Aquino, a practicing physician and surgeon years before he entered politics, belongs to the President's Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) party.
He was undefeated as mayor of San Fernando from 1995 to 2004 and was elected to the House of Representatives in 2004.
He ran for city mayor in 2007 but lost to erstwhile political ally Oscar Rodriguez.
Under Aquino, San Fernando was converted into a component city and later became one of the most awarded local government units (LGUs) in the country for good governance and financial management.
It was awarded the Galing-Pook Award in 2000, a first in the history of the local government, for turning around the city's finances from deficit to surplus. Business and investments also posted remarkable growth during his watch.
Aquino also helped in galvanizing the government-private sector's effort in saving the city from lahar devastation in 1995 in the wake of the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991. (IOF)
