President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed a new government corporate counsel, along with four special envoys, the Palace announced on Monday.
Duterte promoted Elpidio Jumalon Vega from being the deputy government corporate counsel to being the government corporate counsel on Sept. 27, according to Vega’s appointment paper, released by Malacañang on Monday.
Vega replaced the embattled lawyer Rudolf Philip Jurado, who was previously axed by Duterte in May for his alleged issuance of legal opinion justifying the grant of a 75-year gaming franchise to a free port locator in Aurora province.
Jurado argued Aurora Pacific Economic Zone could issue online gambling permits outside the Aurora Economic Zone as long as it was within an area controlled by the Philippine Economic Zone Authority.
Duterte, however, was not amused by Jurado’s opinion, dismissing him for allegedly abusing his authority as GCC.
Meanwhile, the President has also reappointed local newspaper owner Dante Ang as special envoy for international public relations, former lawmaker Monica Teodoro as special envoy to the United Nations Children’s Fund, former House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. as special envoy for intercultural dialogue and Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation, and presidential adviser on overseas Filipino workers concerns Abdullah Mama-O as special envoy to Kuwait;
Datu Ras Sinsuat Lidasan Jr. and National Youth Commission Chairperson Ronald Cardema as National Commission on Muslim Filipinos commissioner and NYC representative to the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board, respectively.
Duterte also designated lawyer Ricardo Moldez as a new member representing the employers’ group in the Social Security Commission, expecting to serve the unexpired term of Amado Valdez that began last July 1, 2018, and will end on June 30, 2019.
Catalina Catral-Talatala, Linda Mae Aguirre, Gilbert Medrano, and Leanne Apolinar are the new Senior State Solicitors in the Office of the Solicitor General.
Aurora Andrea de Pedro as Local Government Operations Officer VIII, Thelma Vecina as Director IV, and Elpidio Durwin as Director III comprised the appointees in the Department of the Interior and Local Government.
Also appointed are Douglas Rufino, Director I, Bureau of Internal Revenue; V. Chewas Cadangen, BIR Director I; Alibasa Andig, Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II; Saturnino Bello, Provincial Agrarian Reform Program Officer II; Christine Canlapan, Director III of the Intellectual Property Office; Jesus Ros, IPO Director III; and Ryan Lita, Director IV, Department of Budget and Management.