Aquino appoints 20 new gov't officials

President Aquino has appointed 20 new government officials, including some allies, to beef up the political office of Malacañang.

In a list of appointments issued last April 15, the President has chosen Atty. Vivencio B. Dizon as new undersecretary of the Office of the Political Affairs (OPA). Dizon is the vice president for media and public relations of Stradcom Corporation that operates information technology infrastructure projects for government.

Also named undersecretaries of the OPA are Atty. Jose Luis Martin Gascon and Ibarra Gutierrez III.

Gascon, a known supporter of Aquino, previously served as education undersecretary for legal and legislative affairs. He was also a member of the government panel negotiating peace with the communist rebels.

Gutierrez served as University of the Philippines (UP) law professor and director of the Institute of Human Rights at the UP Law Center.

Also joining the OPA are newly appointed Assistant Secretaries Rafael Albert and Jose Emmanuel Escaro as well as Directors Reynaldo Flores and Ana Marie Mae Dela Vega.

Meantime, the President also appointed Atty. Democrito Barcenas as member of the Philippine National Oil Company-Shipping and Transport Corporation (PNOC-STC) board. Barcenas, former Cebu vice governor, replaced Carlos Salinas.

Former Professional Regulation Commission chair Antonieta Ibe was appointed member of the Board of Trustees and Administrator of the Local Water Utilities Administration. Ibe takes the place of Orlando Hondrade.

Orlando Uy, former president of the Leyte Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was also named member representing the employers sector at the Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board (RTWPB) Region VIII, with a term of five years. The President retained Eugenio U. Soyao in his post at the RTWPB member in Region XII for a term of five years.

The President also designated Virgilio Castro and Florida Dija as directors at the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) as well as Marie Angela Gopalan and Zenaida Arevalo as directors of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

New officials at the Department of National Defense are Jose Grageda and Danilo Augusto Francia as acting assistant secretaries and Peter Paul Galve as acting director.

Datu Abouzeid Abbas Sinsuant is new acting director I at the Bureau of Local Government Finance of the Department of Health.

The President appointed Rodrigo Alanano as member of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Negros Oriental's 3rd district, replacing Roel Degamo.