PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has renewed the ad interim appointments of two Cabinet secretaries who have yet to get the nod of the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA).
The re-appointed Cabinet members are Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and Agrarian Reform Secretary John Castriciones.
Their appointment papers were signed by Duterte on December 14 and released by Malacañang on Friday, January 5.
The two were unable to get CA's confirmation before Congress went on recess on December 16 last year.
Duque was appointed on October 26, replacing former Health Secretary Paulyn Jean Ubial, whose confirmation was opposed by the powerful commisson on October 10.
Castriciones, on the other hand, was appointed by Duterte on December 1, 2017 and was picked anew to serve as DAR chief on December 14 the same year.
According to CA rules, a presidential appointee is deemed bypassed if his or her appointment is not acted upon by the CA when Congress adjourns session.
Meanwhile, Duterte also released another set of presidential appointees, including Miss Universe 1973 Maria Margarita Moran-Floreindo and retired police director Benjamin Magalong.
Moran-Floreindo was named as member of the Cultural Center of the Philippines' Board of Trustees while Magalong was named as member of the Philippine National Oil Company's Board of Directors.
Apart from them, Duterte appointed Marco Bautista as Tourism Undersecretary; Vinci Beltran as Presidential Communications Director IV; Vincent Villena as Taguig City Prosecutor V; and Nelson Laluces as deputy director general of Department of Trade and Industry's Intellectual Property Office.
Crisostomo Gotladera was named board member of the Home Development Mutual Fund; Maria Theresa Teves-Castaños, board member of Food Terminal Inc.; Eduardo Pelaez, board member of Tourism Promotions Board; and Elizaldy Co, board member of Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority.
Duterte also nominated Rowena Mutia as Foreign Service Officer, Class IV in Foreign Affairs department.
Also up for promotion, with a rank of Career Executive Service Officer, were Bernadette San Juan from Department of Agriculture and Emil Sadain from Department of Public Works and Highways. (SunStar Philippines)