Boholanos continue to fill up top positions in the Duterte administration as two more natives of the province have been given posts as national officials of government departments.
As noted in the Sangguninag Panlalawigan’s (SP) regular session on Friday, Boholanos Arturo Evangelista and Frank Cimafranca have been appointed as Assistant Secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), respectively.
Evangalista is a native of Ubay who served as director of the Bohol Provincial Police Office until 2008 while Cimafranca is the son of late former assemblyman Eutiquio Cimafranca.
The two officials are set to be honored for excelling in their respective fields of interest by the (SP) through a resolution filed by Board Members Niño Rey Boniel and Dionisio Victor Balite.
Evangelista and Cimafranca are the latest additions to Boholanos holding top national posts in the Duterte government.
Other officials include Cabinet Sec. Leoncio Evasco, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) director Ernesto Pernia, Undersecretary Ricardo Jalad who is the chief of the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) and Vicente Malano who is the administrator of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAG-ASA).
Evasco was the national campaign manager of President Rodrigo Duterte during the last elections.
He was also Duterte’s chief of staff when the latter was still Davao City mayor.
Pernia was a professor emeritus of economics at the University of the Philippines and senior economist for the Asian Development Bank.
He was instrumental in drafting the Duterte administration’s 8-point economic plan.
Pernia is also the cousin of Boholano Romulo Neri who was the NEDA chief during the Arroyo administration.
Jalad is a retired Philippine Army general who was commander of the 5th Infantry Division and 2nd Mechanized Infantry Brigade.
He is also currently the executive director of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC). (Rey Tutas)