MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino has given ambassadorial posts to 17 career officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), including its spokesman, and named new undersecretaries and assistant secretaries.
Assistant Secretary Jose Eduardo Malaya III, DFA spokesman since the Aquino administration took over in June 2010, has been designated ambassador to Malaysia. The DFA has yet to name a new spokesman.
Victoria Bataclan, who used to head the Union of Foreign Service Officers, has been appointed ambassador to Belgium. Belen Anota has been named ambassador to Australia, with jurisdiction over the Republic of Nauru, Vanatu and Tuvalu.
Leslie Gatan is Philippines’ new ambassador to Canada, Wilfredo Maximo to Cuba with concurrent jurisdiction over Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica. Cristina Ortega has been designated ambassador to France with concurrent jurisdiction over Monaco.
Ma. Cleofe Natividad has been designated ambassador to Germany; Meynardo Montealegre, Cyprus; Eleanor Jaucian, Hungary with concurrent jurisdiction over Bosnia, Herzegovina, Montenegro and Republic of Serbia. Generoso Calonge is Philippines’ new ambassador to Israel. George Reyes has been named ambassador to the United Mexican States with jurisdiction over Beltze, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama.
Lourdes Morales has been named ambassador to the Netherlands, and Virginia Benavidez to New Zealand to include Republic of Fiji, Kingdom of Tonga and the Independent State of Samoa.
Named ambassador to Norway was Bayani Mercado with concurrent jurisdiction over Iceland and Denmark.
Edgardo Manuel has been designated ambassador to Poland, while Leslie Baja has been named ambassador to Switzerland and whose jurisdiction also covers Liechtenstein. Enrique Manalo has been named ambassador to United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Meanwhile, named undersecretaries – from the Office of Political Affairs – were Vivencio Dizon, Jose Luis Martin Gascon and Ibarra Gutierrez III. Rafael Albert and Jose Emmanuel Escaro have been designated undersecretaries.
Reynaldo Flores and Anna Maria Mae de la Vega have been named directors. Democrito Barcenas has been appointed member of the board of the shipping and transport corporation of the state-run Philippine National Oil Co.