President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has appointed Undersecretary Isidro Purisima as acting head of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU), Malacañang said on Tuesday.
Purisima’s latest designation was announced by Malacañang Press Briefer Daphne Oseña- Paez in a Palace briefing.
Malacañang has yet to release additional details about Purisima’s appointment.
Purisima’s appointment came more than a month after Mr. Marcos named then OPAPRU Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. as the new head of the Department of National Defense. Prior to his new stint, Purisima served as Presidential Assistant for Local Conflict Transformation and Peace Sustainability.
Apart from Purisima, Mr. Marcos also promoted OPAPP chief of staff Wilben Mayor as the office’s Presidential Assistant 1, Oseña-Paez said. Also named were Gabriel Lagamayo as acting administrator of the National Dairy Authority (NDA) and member of the Dairy Industry Board.
The President also appointed Philippine Blue Cross Biotech Corporation CEO and president Benito Techico as the Special Envoy of the President to the People’s Republic of China for Trade, Investments, and Tourism last February 21.
Oseña-Paez also announced the appointment of Senando Santiago as acting general manager and chief executive officer of Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), an attached agency of the Department of Environment Natural Resources tasked to promote and accelerate the growth of the Laguna Lake area and the surrounding provinces, cities and towns.
Mr. Marcos also appointed David Ero and Virgina Oroco as acting members of the Board of Directors of the Landbank of the Philippines, both representing the agrarian reform beneficiaries.
Emerico de Guzman and Rufino Margate Jr. were also tapped as members of the National Tripartite Industrial Peace council, both representing the employer sector, Oseña-Paez said.
Other newly appointed government officials were Valerie Joy Brion (executive director V at the Commission on Filipinos Overseas), Domingo Gonzaga (director II at the National Meat Inspection Service), Julieta Opulencia (deputy executive director III at the Philippine Council for Agriculture and Fisheries) and Flora Gabunales (director IV at the Department of Trade and Industry).