Ex-NCRPO chief gets Jakarta post

Former National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Director Vidal Querol will be appointed as the next Philippine ambassador to Indonesia, sources at the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

Querol, who retired from the police service this year, will replace Ambassador Shulan Primavera, who will assume his post at the Philippine Consulate General in Shanghai, China.

"The ambassadorial post was first offered to former Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Efren Abu, a former classmate of Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono," a source said.

Malacañang has not stopped appointment of political appointees despite objection by career officers.

The Foreign Service Act states that majority of the ambassadors should come from the career service. Currently, 51 percent of career officers head diplomatic missions while 49 percent are political appointees. — Pia Lee-Brago