Malacañang said Thursday it believes Senator Gregorio Honasan III is capable of heading the Department of Information and Communications Technology amid the questions on his qualification.
Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said President Rodrigo Duterte considers Honasan as a potential DICT head based on trust, confidence and integrity.
He made the statement after Duterte presented to the Commission on Appointments Honasan’s nomination as the next DICT chief.
At the Senate, President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said his unsolicited advice was for Honasan to retain Acting Secretary Eliseo Rio as his Senior Undersecretary and continue serving the public in that capacity.
“For one to step up, there is no need for the other to step out,” Recto said.
He said the nation would benefit from the combined skills of Honasan and Rio.
“Two workhorses are better than one,” Recto said.
Panelo said the Commission on Appointments had the final say on whether or not it would approve 70-year-old Honasan’s appointment to lead the highly technical DICT.
“There will be vetting there. There will be shearing and you will have to respond to questions on his competence,” Panelo told reporters.
Republic Act 10844 requires the DICT’s secretary, undersecretaries and assistant secretaries to have at least seven years of experience and expertise in any of the following fields: information and communications technology, information technology service management, information security management, cybersecurity, data privacy, e-Commerce or human capital development in the ICT sector.
Once appointed, Honasan will replace DICT officer-in-charge Eliseo Rio who has served as head of the National Telecommunications Commission.
Honasan’s nomination came after the DICT named Mislatel as the Philippines’ third telecoms player. With Macon Ramos-Araneta