Aquino appoints new food security czar

MANILA, Philippines –  President Benigno Aquino III has appointed Fredelita Guiza as Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization, replacing Francis Pangilinan who resigned to run for senator, Malacañang announced on Wednesday, October 14.

Guiza, who served as undersecretary of the office prior to her appointment, was promoted to Cabinet rank.

Malacañang bared 26 other new presidential appointments, among them, the promotion of Education Assistant Secretary Reynaldo Antonio de la Paz Laguda to undersecretary. He fills in the vacancy left by Education Undersecretary Francisco Varela, who died in August.

Lawyer Erdelyne Go was named Deputy Chief Presidential Legal Counsel, also with the rank of undersecretary.

The other new appointees are the following:

• Teresita Cortez Fortuna – Director IV, Department of Science and Technology;
• Constante Acuña Llanes Jr – Director IV, Department of Public Works and Highways
• Maria Nieva Sison de la Paz – Acting Director IV, DPWH (vice Bienadel Elizabeth Yap)
• Celia Carpio Carlos – Director III, Department of Health (DOH)
• Maria Lourdes Caballero Santiago, Acting Deputy Director General for Field Regulatory Operations, Food and Drug Administration, DOH
• Nordy Lisondra Plaza – Director III, Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC)
• Romulo Villegas Bernardes – Director II, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), DOTC
• Rodolfo Los Baños Jaucian – Director II, LTFRB, DOTC
• Robert Dosono Peig – Director II, DOTC
• Teofilo Estrada Guadiz III – Director II, LTFRB, DOTC
• Francis Ray Arnibal Almora – Director I, LTFRB, DOTC
• Jose Eduardo Leyson Natividad – Acting Director IV (Regional Director), DOTC (vice Celina Claver)
• Adeline Tejada de Castro, Acting Director IV, Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)
• Jesus Gabriel Capili Domingo, Acting Deputy Administrator (Deputy Executive Director V), Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, DOLE
• Englebert Caguioa Lasang, member (representing the workers sector), Regional Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board, Region IV-A, National Wages and Productivity Commission, DOLE (vice Jesus Villamor)
• Josephine Rima-Santiago, Director General, Intellectual Property Office, Department of Trade and Industry
• Emmanuel Niño Wee Ang, Foreign Trade Service Officer II, Philippine Foreign Trade Service Corps, DTI (vice John Paul Iñigo)
• Jhoaden Guelos Lucero, Local Government Operations Officer VIII, Department of Interior and Local Government
• Ireneo Galicia, Government Corporate Counsel, Office of the Government Corporate Counsel, Department of Justice (vice Raoul Creencia)
• Dexter Bun-Go Calizar, Member, Human Rights Victims’ Claims Board (vice Jose Luis Martin Gascon)
• Jose Alejandre Payumo III, Deputy Secretary General, Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (vice Wendel Avisado)
• Arlyn Sicangco Villanueva, Member (Professional Regulatory Board of Accountancy), Professional Regulation Commission (vice Maria Elenita Cabrera)
• Robert Samoy Sac, Chairperson, Professional Regulatory Board of Architecture, PRC (vice Rolando Cordero)
• Robert Medina Mirafuente, Member (Professional Regulatory Board of Architecture), PRC (vice Yolanda Reyes)

– Rappler.com