The bicameral Commission on Appointments yesterday confirmed the nominations of a Commission on Elections executive, five ambassadors, Defense and Foreign Affairs officials, and 33 senior officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.
The CA, led by Senate President Vicente Sotto III, upheld the appointment of Aimee Ferolino-Ampoloquio as Comelec commissioner.
Ampoloquio replaced retired commissioner Al Parreño and will serve until February 2027.
During the panel hearing, Minority Leader Franklin Drilon asked Ampoloquio on how the poll body plans to meet its target for registered new and reactivated voters in the next six months given the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said the Comelec remains committed to registering 7 million applicants consisting of four million new voters and three million for reactivation.
Meanwhile, AFP chief of staff Gen. Cirilito Sobejana led the military officials whose promotions were confirmed by the bicameral body.
“I witnessed firsthand the kind of leadership, professionalism and diligence that Gen. Sobejana is known for. He’s a valued partner in the peace process and we all appreciate that,” said Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri. Macon Ramos-Araneta
Also confirmed were 56 officials from the DFA, including five ambassadors: Generoso Calonge (Iraq); Maria Theresa Dizon-de Vega (South Korea), Maria Lumen Banzon Isleta (Sweden with concurrent jurisdiction over the Finland), Maria Elena Palo Algabre (Turkey with concurrent jurisdiction over Georgia and Azerbaijan) and Alan Lazaro Deniega (Bangladesh with concurrent jurisdiction over Sri Lanka and Maldives).