Duterte appoints ex-AFP chief to Philcoa board
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2020 06:30:36 +0000
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has appointed former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Benjamin Madrigal Jr. as a member of the governing board of the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA).
The retired general was appointed to the PCA on January 21, based on the list of new presidential appointees released by Malacañang on Tuesday.
Madrigal will join the growing number of Duterte’s military appointees since assuming the presidency in 2016.
Duterte has repeatedly shrugged off criticisms that he was militarizing the government, saying that he preferred former uniformed personnel because they get the job done and followed orders without debating them.
Madrigal, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1985, served as the AFP’s chief of staff from December 2018 to September 2019.
Prior to his appointment to the PCA, Madrigal commanded the Eastern Mindanao Command, Southern Luzon Command, the 4th Infantry Division, the 701st Infantry Brigade, and the 26th Infantry Battalion.
The PCA, an attached agency of the Department of Agriculture, is the sole government agency tasked to develop the industry to its full potential in line with the new vision of a united, globally competitive, and efficient coconut industry.
Meanwhile, the President reappointed Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado, promoted several police officials, including Metro Manila’s top policeman Debold Sinas, and named two new vice admirals (George Ursabia Jr. and Lyndon La Torre) of the Philippine Coast Guard.
Duterte also appointed Melissa Avanceña Aradanas as assistant secretary of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development.
Aradanas is a cousin of Duterte’s partner Cielito “Honeylet” Avanceña. CATHERINE S. VALENTE