DICT, MECO, anti-poverty heads appointed

MANILA, Philippines - Three more people have joined the Duterte administration: lawyer Rodolfo Salalima as secretary of the newly created Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), former National Food Authority administrator Angelito Banayo as resident representative of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei, and former lawmaker Liza Maza as lead convenor of the National Anti-Poverty Commission.

Salalima was a former executive of Globe Telecom Inc. who served as chief legal counsel and senior vice president for corporate and regulatory affairs until his retirement in 2008. 

An alumnus of San Beda College, he graduated magna cum laude in AB Philosophy and cum laude in Bachelor of Laws.

He has over 40 years of experience in the telecommunications industry, including stints in Bayan Telecommunications Inc. and Radio Communications of the Philippines Inc.

He represented the country’s ICT industry as Asia Pacific representative and vice chairman of the International Telecommunication Union council working group, which crafted the amendments to the ITU constitution and convention in Geneva, Switzerland.

Banayo, who was part of Duterte’s team during the presidential campaign, is a veteran in government service.

He served as postmaster general, Philippine Tourism Authority administrator and National Food Authority administrator.

He was instrumental in the creation of the Philippine Postal Corp. and instituted reforms aimed at reducing employee pilferage.

He initiated the probe on corruption activities in the postal service, and the one-way mirrors at the Manila International Airport Distribution Center were his brainchild.

Verification with the Office of the Ombudsman showed that Banayo has a pending case for graft filed two years ago.

“A complaint was referred by the National Bureau of Investigation for rice smuggling,” an official who spoke on condition of anonymity for lack of authority to speak told The STAR.

However, having a pending case “is not a bar to assume office,” the official added.

Verification also showed that the Office of the Ombudsman has made no decision on any administrative charge against Banayo.

In August 2014, the NBI charged Banayo and five members of the special bids and awards committee for their alleged roles in a rice smuggling.

Banayo grew up in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte where his family had moved in the 1960s.

He studied economics at the Colegio de San Juan de Letran Manila, then went on to the Ateneo Graduate School of Business and the University of the Philippines College of Public Administration.

Maza is the former Gabriela representative in the House of Representatives.

She is a staunch advocate for the protection of the poor and marginalized.

As a lawmaker, she authored 53 bills and 120 resolutions in the 13th and 14th Congress.

As co-author, her initiatives which were passed into law included the Rent Control Act of 2009, Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act of 2006, Magna Carta for Women, Philippine Nursing Act, Anti-Torture Law, Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003 and Anti-Violence against Women and Children Act. – With Michael Punongbayan, Janvic Mateo