Taga Danao: Rene Almendras, the new Dept of Energy Secretary

Tue, June 29, 2010  10:33 am

Aquino names Cabinet, Old, new faces in official family

By Gil C. Cabacungan Jr.
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:40:00 06/30/2010

Rene, the youngest among the children of the late "Sir Pinong & Ma'am Rosing" Almendras

The new faces in Aquino’s Cabinet are Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. and Secretaries Voltaire Gazmin (defense), Br. Armin Luistro (education), Proceso Alcala (agriculture), Enrique Ona (health), Alberto Lim (tourism), Mario Montejo (science and technology), Jose Rene Almendras (energy), and Virgilio delos Reyes (agrarian reform).

Also new are Julia Andrea Abad, Presidential Management Staff chief; Edwin Lacierda and Eduardo de Mesa, Aquino’s spokesperson and chief legal counsel, respectively; and Patricia Licuanan, Commission on Higher Education chair.

The others who have served in previous administrations are Secretaries Alberto Romulo (foreign affairs), Cesar Purisima (finance), Leila de Lima (justice), Florencio “Butch” Abad (budget), Cayetano Paderanga (socioeconomic planning), Jose de Jesus (transportation and communication), Gregorio Domingo (trade and industry), Corazon “Dinky” Soliman (social welfare), and Rogelio Singson (public works), and Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Jacinto Henares, and Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita “Ging” Deles.

Aquino also chose two career officers to head their departments—Environment Secretary Ramon Paje and Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz.

Aquino also announced that Maj. Gen. Ricardo David would succeed Armed Forces Chief of Staff Gen. Delfin Bangit, and that Philippine National Police Director General Jesus Versoza would stay on until his retirement in December.

He was adamant about not appointing any of his relatives to posts in his administration, although he has a father-and-daughter team—the Abads—in his Cabinet.

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