MALACAÑANG on Wednesday, January 17, released the names of individuals who have secured new posts in government, including two who have been appointed as commissioners of the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP).
In the wake of the dismissal of PCUP chair Terry Ridon and four other commissioners, Duterte on Tuesday, January 16, appointed Randy Halasan and Norman Baloro as new PCUP commissioners.
Their appointments came a month after the Palace announced that Ridon and PCUP commissioners Melissa Aradanas, Joan Lagunda, Manuel Serra Jr. and Noe Indonto were dismissed from service because of their alleged "unnecessary junkets" abroad.
Under Executive Order 82 signed on December 8, 29186, the PCUP was created to serve as the direct link of the urban poor to the government in policy formulation and program implementation addressed to their needs.
Other new appointees are Ireno Bacolod and Josefino Cataluña who were named undersecretaries of Duterte's office while Bernie Ferrer was tapped as Agrarian Reform undersecretary.
Duterte also appointed Rachel Anne Herrera as commissioner of the Climate Change Commission; Hector Miole as assistant general manager of Philippine Ports Authority; Jethro Magno as director II of the Bureau of Internal Revenue; Diana Ignacio as director II of Industrial Technology Development Institute; and Beatriz Torno as Education department's director IV.
Named board members of the Philippine International Convention Center Inc. were Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. and Jocelyn Yambao Franco.
Duterte also picked Teodoro Pascua and Lolibeth Ramit-Medrano as deputy director general and director IV of Department of Trade and Industry's (DTI) Intellectual Property Office, respectively. Domingo Tolentino Jr., on the other hand, was named director IV of the DTI. (Ruth Abbey Gita/SunStar Philippines)