Resigned energy officials asked to stay one more month

MANILA, Philippines – Two Department of Energy (DOE) officials who have tendered their courtesy resignations — undersecretaries Jose Layug Jr. and Josefina Patricia Asirit — were asked to stay for 30 more days to assist recently appointed Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla during the transition period.

This was confirmed by both Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda in a November 7 press briefing and Petilla on November 6.

“Both Udersecretary Asirit and Undersecretary Layug will be asked to stay for 30 days during the transition to help ease the transition and also to brief incoming Secretary Petilla in the Energy department,” Lacierda told Malacañang reporters.

“It’s always standard procedure for a Cabinet secretary to choose his own team and that’s the same courtesy that we’re according everyone. So Secretary Petilla would like to form his own team. Therefore, it was but proper for both Undersecretary Asirit, who also tendered her resignation, and also Undersecretary Jay Layug to tender his resignation,” Lacierda added.

During the first briefing with energy reporters the day before, Petilla confirmed the two officials have tendered their resignations.

He added that he will be bringing in a 4-man team to help him during the transition, but none of them will be assigned an undersecretary position.

Timing

On November 6, President Aquino announced the appointment of Assistant Secretary Ramon Oca as the replacement of Layug.

The appointment paper was dated October 31, but the courtesy resignations of Layug and Asirit were reportedly dated only this week.

Lacierda shrugged off questions on whether Layug was fired, stressing that “as far as we know, he tendered his resignation.”

Layug oversaw, among others, the bidding of contracts for petroleum assets. In June, when former Energy Secretary Rene Almendras was first reported to be off to a new Malacañang post, Layug said he was willing to leave his post anytime.

Layug marked his 2nd year in public office on November 5, and said he would focus on his teaching profession at a law school. – Rappler.com