Rico E. Puno appointed as DILG usec

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino has appointed a longtime consultant as undersecretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Rico Escalona Puno, DILG Undersecretary for Peace and Order, said the President has chosen to personally lead the DILG at the moment because he needs to “effect changes” immediately.

“We have to work. We have to bring back everything to the people. That’s his marching orders,” he said.

“Probably the reason why he held on to the position (as DILG secretary) is not because wala pa talaga syang napipili kung sino talaga ang ilalagay nya dito (he hasn’t picked someone for the job), it is through this department that he thinks he would be able to effect changes,” Puno said during yesterday’s turnover ceremonies at the DILG main office in Quezon City. Puno replaced Marius Corpus.

Puno said that through the department, the Aquino administration “could touch base with the people,” through the services provided by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).

Puno has been part of Mr. Aquino’s staff since he was a congressman and senator. He served as Mr. Aquino’s consultant in various activities in Congress; in the Senate as officer for public order and safety, economic affairs and local governance, as well as liaison officer for the PNP and the Armed Forces.

In his farewell message, Corpus stressed that “the present BFP and BJMP is quite different from the BFP and BJMP that I saw when I first arrived in the DILG nine years ago.”

“In our effort to professionalize the two bureaus, we introduced some changes through Republic Act 9263, which equalize the pay of BFP and BJMP officials and personnel at par with the PNP; elevated positions at the BFP and BJMP, so that regional directors of BFP and BJMP are now full-fledge regional directors,” he said.