MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed Interior Undersecretary John Castriciones as acting Agrarian Reform Secretary.

Castriciones, whose appointment papers were signed on Friday, December 1, takes over the post of Rafael “Ka Paeng” Mariano who was rejected by the Commission on Appointments in September.

Mariano was among the Leftists Duterte had placed in top government posts.

Castriciones is one of the 3 Department of Interior and Local Government undersecretaries who complained to Duterte about former Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno.

Their allegations, particularly that Sueno travelled to Austria to purchase allegedly overpriced fire trucks, eventually led to Duterte firing Sueno during a Cabinet meeting in April.

The same 3 DILG undersecretaries were accused of corruption in an anonymous complaint sent to Duterte. The complaint, supposedly from DILG employees, asked the President to fire Castriciones and the two other undersecretaries.

Castriciones was active in Duterte’s presidential campaign, serving as executive vice president of Mayor Rodrigo Roa Duterte (MRRD) group, a nationwide volunteer organization. – Rappler.com