MANILA -- President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed former Bureau of Customs (BOC) chief Nicanor Faeldon as Deputy Administrator III of the Department of National Defense-Office of Civil Defense (DND-OCD).
Currently, Faeldon is detained at the Senate after refusing to testify on the probe of the P6.4-billion shabu shipment from China that slipped past the BOC's grasp.
In August, the President accepted Faeldon's resignation after he was linked to the controversy.
In a letter dated December 22, Faeldon was informed that he was appointed as deputy administrator to the DND-OCD.
Faeldon, who is expected to work while even in detention, will replace Rodolfo Demosthenes Santillan.
OCD administrator Ricardo Jalad, meanwhile, welcomed on Wednesday the appointment of Faeldon as the office’s second deputy administrator.
"I badly need a second deputy administrator, which was vacant before his appointment. My job is so broad covering all four pillars of DRRM (disaster risk reduction and management) plus the admin/logistics side, which includes human resource and procurement. I welcome and support his appointment," Jalad said in a statement shared by government news channel PTV-4.
"OCD, having just transitioned into an approved organization with 25 level three positions, needs to strengthen its executive offices in order to provide direction and supervision to its five services and 17 regional offices," said Jalad, who also serves as National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council executive director. (PNA)