Marcos appoints new NIA head

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos has appointed former Piddig, Ilocos Norte mayor Eddie Guillen as the acting administrator of the National Irrigation Administration (NIA).

Guillen, a civil engineer, will also serve as a member of the NIA board of directors.

Office of the Press Secretary officer-in-charge Undersecretary Cheloy Garafil confirmed Guillen’s appointment in a message to Malacañang reporters yesterday.

Guillen took his oath of office before Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin at Malacañang also yesterday.

Guillen replaced Benny Antiporda, who was suspended by the Office of the Ombudsman following accusations of grave misconduct, harassment and oppression by some NIA employees.

Antiporda has denied the allegations of NIA employees, who filed an administrative complaint against him.

Biz groups back Pascual

Several business and industry groups have expressed support for the appointment of Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual, who has yet to be confirmed by the Commission on Appointments (CA).

In separate letters and statements, various national and regional groups expressed support for Pascual’s appointment.

Among these groups are the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Employers Confederation of the Philippines and the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc.

“His appointment to the job has received a resounding cheer from the country’s business and scientific community. We continue to believe that his well-known visionary leadership, outstanding credentials, and solid experience in the fields of education, business and finance make him the best person to steer DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) towards being a major catalyst of job creation, economic transformation, and post-pandemic growth,” the three groups said in a joint declaration of support.

The groups also commended Pascual’s industrial policy of harnessing innovation and digital transformation toward transforming the country’s industrial landscape into one that is inclusive and competitive.

“With Secretary Pascual at the helm of the DTI, we feel strongly confident that the country’s industry development agenda, through his planned programs and initiatives, will effectively drive the fulfillment of the President’s socio-economic agenda for this administration, through growing globally competitive and innovative industries, attracting quality investments, and creating more and better jobs,” they said.

Last week, the CA committee suspended the hearing on Pascual’s appointment as DTI chief due to lack of time.

Meanwhile, a former official of the Office of the Ombudsman has expressed support for resigned Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) undersecretary Jose Vicente Salazar, saying his departure from government service was a loss to the public sector.

Lawyer Victor Fernandez, former deputy ombudsman for Luzon, said Salazar’s exit from government service “means there will be one man of talent and integrity less in the ranks of our public servants.”

Salazar, a member of the Sigma Rho fraternity of the University of the Philippines, served as DICT undersecretary for policy and legal affairs.

Salazar recently submitted his irrevocable letter of resignation to President Marcos, citing the health condition of his spouse.

Salazar also headed the government’s Task Force against Human Trafficking. – Catherine Talavera, Rainier Allan Ronda