Ex-Navy chief new envoy to Australia

President Arroyo has appointed former Navy chief Vice Admiral Ernesto de Leon as ambassador to Australia, Malacañang announced yesterday.

Presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor said De Leon replaces Ambassador Cristina Ortega, who is now ambassador to Brussels.

Last December, De Leon decided to retire early to give younger officers a chance to fill his post. De Leon served as Navy chief for two years and nine months.

He and Armed Forces chief of staff Gen. Generoso Senga are members of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1972.

The President, however, has yet to announce the replacement for Ambassador to Washington Albert del Rosario, whose resignation takes effect on July 8.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the President also named Michael Osmeña as acting president of the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) while Mariano Salazar was appointed undersecretary of the Department of Energy (DOE).

Other appointees include DOE Undersecretary Peter Anthony Abaya as member of the board of directors and president of the Philippine National Oil Co.-Petrochemical Development Corp.; Leonilo Lariosa as assistant secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR); Alexander Cauguiran as executive vice president and member of the board of directors of the Clark International Airport Corp.;

Juan Agapito Tria II as assistant administrator for administrative service of the National Irrigation Administration; Carlos Salazar as assistant administrator for systems operation and equipment management of the NIA; Roland Robles as acting member of the National Book Development Board representing the private sector; Jose Balagan Sr. and Ernesto Fuenconcillo as acting members of the board of the directors representing labor of the Cagayan Special Economic Zone.

Newly appointed Labor Secretary Arturo Brion takes over from his predecessor, Patricia Sto. Tomas, who has been appointed chairperson of the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP). Both Brion and Sto. Tomas took their oaths of office before the President.

At the Department of Foreign Affairs, an official said the DFA has again submitted the nomination of two more political appointees and two career officials with the Commission on Appointments.

The nomination of former Chief Justice Hilario Davide as Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations and former Ambassador to Romania Noel Cabrera as envoy to Myanmar has been submitted to the CA, the official said.

Davide and Cabrera were earlier bypassed by the CA due to lack of time as Congress went on recess.

The nominations of former ambassadors Rosario Janolo and Antonio Villamor were also submitted to the CA as envoys to Kenya and Riyadh, respectively. Janolo served s ambassador to Romania while Villamor’s last posting was Turkey. — Aurea Calica, Pia Lee-Brago