MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte appointed 6 officials prior to the official appointment of retiring Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Eduardo Año as the secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

The 6 officials were promoted to the position Director III in the central and regional offices of the DILG.

Among the newly appointed officials who will assume the Director III posts are:

• Juan Jovian E. Ingeniero of DILG-National Capital Region
• Victoria H. Ramos of DILG-Region 1
• Odilon M. Pasaraba of DILG-Region 2
• Araceli A. San Jose of DILG-Region 3
• Karl Caesar R. Rimando of DILG-Region 4B 
• Dennis D. Villaseñor of the Bureau of Local Government Development of the DILG-Central Office.

According to the DILG press statement released on Friday May 12, President Duterte notified the officers through a letter sent to them last week. They then took their oath before the DILG Officer-in-Charge Catalino Cuy.

Cuy said the appointments are timely as the department is counting on the support of its officials in ensuring that programs and projects are effectively carried out at the local level. Among these are initiatives toward the President’s fight against corruption and illegal drugs, and the campaign for federalism. (READ: 3 challenges Año will face as DILG chief)

“I trust that you will continue to serve the Department with utmost integrity, credibility and professionalism as they assume much bigger tasks and responsibilities in the DILG,” Cuy said to the newly promoted officials.
 
Victoria Ramos, one of the new directors, was the most senior in the oath-taking, working at the DILG since 1985 as a local government officer and “slowly [working] her way up.”

“You really have to work hard for your goals. Keep in mind that you must always be in sync with your organization’s vision and work hard to fulfill such objective,” she said.

The appointment of the 6 officials preceded the surprise announcement by the President of Año as the incoming interior chief. (READ: Early retirement for AFP chief Año?) – Rappler.com