MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed as undersecretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) a geologist whose family’s personal and professional history is marked by resistance to the dictatorship of the first Marcos president.

Malacañang on Tuesday, February 14, announced the appointment of Carlos Primo David as undersecretary of the DENR. He was appointed last December 28 and assumed office in January, but his appointment papers were shared to the media only on Tuesday.

The DENR website states David is undersecretary for integrated environmental science.

David is the son of journalist and sociologist Randy David and the late Karina Constantino-David, who was once Civil Service Commission chairperson. His sister is broadcast journalist Kara David, who is journalism department chair at the College of Mass Communication of the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman.

Both his parents were prominent figures in the struggle against the dictatorship of Ferdinand E. Marcos, the President’s father. Karina sang and composed songs as the guitarist of the activist duo Inang Laya, with Becky Abraham.

David has a doctorate in earth and environmental sciences from Stanford University. According to his profile on the website of UP Diliman’s National Institute of Geological Sciences, his research interests include hydrogeology and environmental geochemistry.

The DENR position is not David’s first government post. He was previously executive director of the Department of Science and Technology-PCIEERD Innovation Council and officer-in-charge of the DOST’s Philippine Nuclear Research Institute. He was also a member of the Climate Change Commission’s National Panel of Technical Experts. – Rappler.com