FORMER Davao City councilor and newly appointed Mindanao Development Authority (Minda) Chairperson Mabel Sunga Acosta is set to assume her position on Monday, January 17, 2022.
This was confirmed by Minda public relations chief Adrian Tamayo in a message via Messenger on Friday, January 14.
Acosta announced her resignation as councilor on Tuesday, January 11, after 18 years as a legislator. She was supposed to finish her third and last term in June 2022.
In a photo posted on the Team Acosta Facebook page, Acosta and her family made a courtesy call to President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday evening.
According to the post, Acosta thanked the President for the support and trust, and in response, the latter together with Senator Christopher “Bong” Go wished her well in her new designation.
She was accompanied by her husband, Captain Reynaldo T. Acosta and daughter Stella Acosta.
The new Minda chair, meanwhile, took an oath of office as the new Chairperson on Thursday, January 13.
The ceremony was administered by Acting Presiding Judge, lawyer Janice H. Celestial of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) Branch 7, Davao City. She was also accompanied by her husband during the event.
According to Republic Act 9996, the law that created Minda, a chairperson will be serving six years in office.
According to the law, Minda is mandated to promote, coordinate and facilitate the active and extensive participation of all sectors to effect socioeconomic development of Mindanao. Minda is the permanent Philippine Coordinating Office (PCOBE) for the Philippines East Asean Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA), that ensures the active participation of Mindanao and Palawan in the sub-regional economic cooperation.
Acosta replaced former Minda chair Secretary Emmanuel Piñol who relinquished his post as he will be running for Senate on the 2022 national polls.
She is the second female to hold the highest post of the agency with a Cabinet-level rank. The first was Luwalhati Antonino from 2010 to 2016.