MANILA, Philippines – Two and a half months after Gregorio Honasan II resigned to seek a Senate comeback, Malacañang named Undersecretary Emmanuel Rey “Manny” Caintic as the acting secretary of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

In a statement on Tuesday, December 21, Caintic said he will “build on” the accomplishments of the DICT.

“Our marching orders remain the same: to connect all Filipinos to the benefits of the digital economy, wherever they are in the country. For quality public service, do what is right, do it right, and do it faster,” he said.

Caintic joined the DICT as assistant secretary for Digital Philippines in 2019 and was later promoted to undersecretary in 2021.

He was on top of key initiatives such as the National Broadband Plan and the program offering free Wi-Fi, and has been the face of the department owing to his mandate.

The new acting secretary has decades of experience in information technology and had provided consulting services to various government agencies, international organizations, and businesses when he was still in the private sector.

He had a short stint in the Philippine Stock Exchange as its chief technology officer. In 2015, he resigned following a series of trading disruptions.

Caintic has degrees in physics and computer engineering from the Ateneo de Manila University. He studied Master in Business Economics at the University of Asia and the Pacific. – Rappler.com