Perfecto Yasay accepts DFA post offered by Duterte

MANILA, Philippines – Former Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Perfecto Yasay on Wednesday accepted the offer of presumptive president Davao City Mayor Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte to serve as an acting Foreign Affairs secretary in his incoming administration.

Yasay, 69, will be the acting secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) for a year or until the post is turned over to Duterte’s running mate, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, taking over from DFA’s Jose Almendras.

Duterte’s spokesperson Peter Laviña posted on his Facebook account that as early as now, its camp passed the torch to Yasay and turned over request from various embassies for briefings under the Duterte administration.

On Monday, Duterte announced that he offered lawyer Yasay to serve as the acting Foreign Affairs secretary for a year. He said he asked Yasay, who was his former classmate, to take a furlough in his teaching commitment at a university in Hawaii to serve for a year.

“He has a teaching commitment sa, he’s a professor of law sa Hawaii. He just came home to greet me. Ngayon, sabi ko if he can take an extra one year from his.... Mag-furlough muna siya, take a sabbatical leave from his and just join, I would assign him sa Department of Foreign Affairs, in acting capacity,” Duterte said in a press conference last Monday.

READ: LIST: Duterte names possible Cabinet members

Cayetano was initially offered the DFA post, however, since he lost in the vice presidential race, he needs to wait for a year before he can be appointed to the post. He was also given the decision if he will pursue his three-year term at the Senate, which Duterte said he also respects.

Like Duterte, Yasay also hailed from Mindanao. He was a formal vice presidential candidate of Bangon Pilipinas in 2010 with running mate Bro. Eddie Villanueva.

Yasay was the SEC chair from 1995 to 2000 as he also served as chair under former President Joseph Estrada’s term and was appointed by former President Fidel “FVR” Ramos as SEC associate commissioner in 1993.