President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed former Customs official Ariel Nepomuceno as the new administrator of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD), just as the country is suffering from inclement Christmas weather that has claimed the lives of 25 people so far.
In a statement, the Office of the Press Secretary also said the President has tapped lawyers Angelito Magno and Glenn Ricarte as new Assistant Directors of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).
Mr. Marcos has likewise appointed Richard “Dickie” Bachmann as the new Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairperson, replacing Noli Eala who was named to the post just last August.
The OPS on Wednesday released photos of Nepomuceno, Magno, and Ricarte taking their oath before Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin. However, the office has yet to release copies of their appointment papers.
Nepomuceno was the former Bureau of Customs (BOC) deputy commissioner for enforcement but stepped down following the resignation of then-Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon under the Duterte administration.
The OCD, the implementing arm of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), administers a comprehensive national civil defense and disaster risk reduction and management program.
It provides leadership in the continuous development of strategic and systematic approaches as well as measures to reduce the vulnerabilities and risks to hazards and manage the consequences of disasters, the OPS statement said.
Meanwhile, the NBI detects and investigates crimes and other offenses against the laws of the Philippines upon its own initiative and as public interest may require and renders technical assistance upon request in the investigation and detection of crimes and other offenses.
It also coordinates with other national and local police agencies in the maintenance of peace and order and establishes and maintains an up-to-date scientific crime laboratory.