MANILA, Philippines — A former acting president of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. who resigned while the office was grappling with a controversy has been named health assistant secretary.
Former PhilHealth acting president Roy Ferrer was appointed assistant health secretary last Feb. 6, a list of appointees released by Malacañang on Monday showed.
Last June, President Duterte asked Ferrer and PhilHealth board members to resign following allegations that some officials allowed payments to a wellness and dialysis center that had filed claims on behalf of its dead patients.
Duterte, however, has declared that he does not have the slightest doubt about the integrity and honesty of Ferrer.
Duterte has also appointed former Intercontinental Broadcasting Corp. Channel 13 president Katherine de Castro as board director at People's Television Network. De Castro, daughter of ABS-CBN newscaster and former vice president Noli de Castro, was also a Tourism undersecretary.
The President has also named lawyer Lorna Kapunan as member of the board of trustees of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Trade Undersecretary Rowel Barba, meanwhile, was named director general of the Intellectual Property Office.
Duterte also appointed Imelda Panolong as ambassador to Oman and Mohd Noordin Lomondot as ambassador to Kuwait.
Malacañang also released the appointment papers of former Navy chief Giovanni Bacordo; former Air Force chief Rozzano Briguez, who has been named board director at the Philippine National Oil Co. Exploration Corp.; and Health Undersecretary Enrique Domingo, who has been designated Food and Drug Administration director general.