Aquino swears in newly appointed government officials

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino presided over the mass oath-taking yesterday of newly appointed government officials and leaders of other organizations.

Those who took their oaths before the President include: Ma. Grace Pulido Tan, chair of Commission on Audit; Augusto Lagman, commissioner, Commission on Elections; Teresita Herbosa, chair, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); Ramon Liwag, commandant, Philippine Coast Guard; Felicito Payumo, chairman, Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA); Arnel Paciano Casanova, president and chief executive officer, BCDA; Cesar Villanueva, chairman and member, Clark Development Corp. (CDC).

Also inducted into office were Michael Aguinaldo, deputy executive secretary, legal affairs; Vivencio Dizon, undersecretary, Office of Political Affairs (OPA), Office of the President; Jose Luis Martin Gascon, undersecretary, OPA; Myra Marie Villarica, acting undersecretary, Department of Tourism; Rafael Albert, assistant secretary, OPA; Jose Emmanuel Escaro, assistant secretary, OPA; Rolando Cucio, assistant secretary, OPA; Danilo Augusto Francia, assistant secretary, Department of National Defense; Peter Calimag, assistant secretary, Department of Finance; Jose Graceda, acting assistant secretary, Department of Agrarian Reform; Ma. Lourdes Jaleco, acting assistant secretary, Department of Tourism; Michael Rama, chairman, Regional Development Council, Regional Officer VII, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA); Gilberto Marpuri, jail chief superintendent, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG); Pendatun Disimban, member, board of administrators, Cooperative Development Authority (CDA); Nelson Alindogan, member, board of administrators, CDA, representing Luzon; Felicitas Acosido, member, board of administrators, CDA, representing Visayas; Paisalin Tago, member, board of administrators, CDA, representing Mindanao; and the following members of the CDC board of directors: Felipe Antonio Remollo, Francis Raphael Carpio Elum, Ricardo Baron, Manuel Feliciano, Rommel Bondoc, Jose Melo, and Jose Danilo Honrado.

The President also swore in the new officers of the Malacañang Press Corps (MPC) yesterday. They are Ma. Romina Gonzalez, president; Joyce Pañares, vice president for print; Marie Pea Ruiz, vice president for radio; Willard Cheng, vice president for TV; Rose Miranda, secretary, Weng de la Fuente, treasurer; Regina Bengco, auditor; Raymund Tinaza, sergeant-at-arms.