Cabinet Secretaries Año, Bautista, CSC commissioner, five ambassadors and 43 AFP ranking officers hurdle CA - Commission on Appointments
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6 February 2019
Cabinet Secretaries Año, Bautista, CSC commissioner,
five ambassadors and 43 AFP ranking officers hurdle CA
Two former top military officers appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte to key
Cabinet posts got their ad interim appointments approved by the Commission on
Appointments (CA) today. Their appointments, together with those of a Civil Service
Commission (CSC) Commissioner, 43 ranking officers in the Armed Forces of the
Philippines (AFP) and the nominations of five Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) senior
officials, got the CA’s nod in the plenary session presided by Senate of the President /
Chairman of the Commission Vicente C. Sotto III. The CA confirmation of these ad interim
appointments and nominations came on the last session day before Congress adjourns for the
mid-term elections.
The ad interim appointments of Cabinet Secretaries Mr. Eduardo Manahan Año,
former AFP Chief of Staff, of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG)
and Mr. Rolando Joselito Delizo Bautista, former AFP Army Chief, of the Department of
Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) were confirmed at the plenary following separate
deliberations held by the Commission’s respective committees.
Año, 57, a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) “Matikas” Class of
1983, was appointed as the DILG’s 27th Secretary on November 5, 2018. Prior to his
appointment as DILG Chief, Año served as the AFP’s Chief of Staff from December 2016 -
October 2017. By virtue of RA 6975 or the Department of the Interior and Local
Government Act of 1990, which provides among others, that, “... No retired or resigned
military officer or police official may be appointed as Secretary within one (1) year from the
date of his retirement or resignation,” he was not considered to immediately assume the top
DILG post after he was named by the President in May 2017 to replace the former DILG
Chief Ismael Sueno who was sacked over allegations of corruption. Hence, he was appointed
as DILG Undersecretary in November 2017 and as DILG Officer-in-Charge from January to
October 2018.
A native of San Mateo, Rizal, Año also held various positions within the military
which include: Commander of the 10th Infantry Division, Philippine Army of Camp Manuel
T. Yan, Sr., Compostela Valley; Chief, Intelligence Service of the AFP (ISAFP) in Camp
Aguinaldo; Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, J2, Camp Aguinaldo; Brigade
Commander of the 201st Infantry Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Santos, Calauag,
Quezon; Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence, OG2 and Intelligence Security Group
Commander, Philippine Army, Fort Bonifacio; and Battalion Commander of the 76th
Infantry Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, Philippine Army Gumaca, Quezon.
Acknowledged as one of the most decorated Army officers in the AFP, Año was a
recipient of various awards and honors, such as, four (4) Distinguished Service Stars; GoldCross Medal; Philippine Legion of Honor (Degree of Officer); Gawad sa Kaunlaran Award;
sixteen (16) Bronze Cross Medals; thirty-six (36) Military Merit Medals; ten (10) Military
Commendation Medals; and Silver Wing Medal.
After scrutinizing Año’s competence, fitness and integrity at the committee level, the
members of the committee were convinced that he is well qualified and adequately equipped
for the position he was appointed to by the President. Sen. Sonny Angara, Chair of the
Committee on the Interior and Local Government, in favorably endorsing Año’s appointment
to the plenary, said that the Secretary’s military experience brought to civilian life “should
not be seen as a usurpation of civilian authority but an introduction of military precision,
dogged singlemindedness, and patriotic fervor into our police, public safety and local
government affairs.” Angara also described the DILG Chief as a “paragon of competence
and bravery.”
Mindanaoan lawmaker Rep. Aurora Enerio Cerilles, in her seconding speech, lauded
Año’s effective leadership in suppressing Muslim extremists during the Marawi siege and
expressed her gratitude to Año for his contribution to the peace and order situation in
Mindanao.
On the other hand, Rep. Scott Davies S. Lanete, M.D., Chair of the Commission’s
Committee on Labor, Employment and Social Welfare, pushed for the confirmation of
Bautista’s appointment as DSWD Secretary. He favorably endorsed Bautista’s confirmation
highlighting that, "the years he has spent as a soldier is an advantage for him that allowed
him to experience first hand the problems of the marginalized groups.” Being once an Army
Chief, Bautista “has been able to spend time with those in poverty in far-flung areas that he
feels and he knows what the people need as they truly want to change their lives," he added.
Bautista, 56, is a native of Naguilian, La Union and a member of the Philippine
Military Academy (PMA) “Sandiwa” Class of 1985. He was appointed as DSWD Secretary
last October 17, 2018 following his retirement from active military service. His appointment
came a year and two months after the CA disapproved the appointment of former DSWD
Secretary Judy Taguiwalo. Before taking the reins of the DSWD, Bautista served as the
Commanding General of the Philippine Army from October 2017 to October 2018.
A seasoned counter-terrorism commander, Bautista served as Chief of Unified
Command Staff of the Northern Luzon Command based in Tarlac under the previous
administration of former President Benigno Aquino III. He was also assigned in General
Santos City to command the 10th Infantry Division’s Joint Task Force GenSan and served as
Commander of the 104th Brigade, 1st Infantry Division in Camp San-an, Pulacan,
Zamboanga Del Sur. Following his victory in the 2016 presidential elections, President
Duterte appointed Bautista as Commander of the Presidential Security Group (PSG). His
PSG stint was cut short, however, as he was appointed Commander of the 1st Infantry
Division in Kuta Major Cesar L. Sang-An, Upper Pulacan, Labangan, Zamboanga Del Sur
and Commander of Task Force Marawi during the Marawi siege in May 2017 that saw
government troops fighting extremists aligned with the international terrorist network Islamic
State attacking the Mindanao city. Bautista took the lead in commanding the military units in
Marawi until the end of the siege on October 23, 2017.Bautista earned his Master’s degree in Public Administration from the National
College of Business Administration in Quezon City and completed his Command and
General Staff Course, AFP Command and General Staff College, Camp General Emilio
Aguinaldo, Quezon City and Conflict and Management and Resolution Skills Course, United
States for Peace/AFP, Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City. He was a recipient of two
Distinguished Service Stars, an Outstanding Achievement Medal, two Gawad sa Kaunlaran
Awards, Bronze Cross Medals, 17 Military Merit Medals and 13 Military Commendation
Medals during his stint in the AFP.
Meanwhile, the Commission also confirmed the ad interim appointment of Ms.
Aileen Lourdes Abella Lizada, as CSC Commissioner, for a term expiring on 02 February
2025, vice Robert S. Martinez. A lawyer by profession, Lizada started her government career
in 1996 as Chief of Staff and concurrent Internal Audit Systems Chief and Supervising
Tourism Operations Officer at the Davao City Mayor’s Office and as a consultant on legal
matters/liaison officer on special or priority matters, Office of the Provincial Governor in
Davao Oriental. She also served as Graft Investigation and Prosecution Officer II and
concurrent Officer-in-Charge, Enforcement and Monitoring Unit, Office of the Ombudsman
- Mindanao from January 2004 to July 2016. Prior her appointment in the CSC, she was a
Board Member and the Spokesperson of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory
Board (LTFRB) from August 2016 to December 2018. She finished her Bachelor of Laws
degree at the Ateneo de Davao University in 1988 and her Master’s degree in Public
Administration at the Lyceum Northwestern University in Dagupan City Pangasinan in 2015.
Sen. Cynthia A. Villar, Chairperson of the Commission’s Committee on
Constitutional Commissions and Offices, and the other members of the committee did not
find any problem that would obstruct the confirmation of the appointment of Lizada. In
favorably recommending Lizada’s appointment for confirmation in the plenary, Villar
described the Commissioner as a “well-rounded public servant, a devout Catholic and a
crusader” and expressed that her “strong beliefs, as well as the skills and training she
harnessed along the way, bode well for the Civil Service and the millions of public servants
she swore to uplift and serve.”
Likewise, five nominations of senior officials from the DFA were confirmed by the
Commission. Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson, Chair of the Commission’s Foreign Affairs
Committee, recommended the confirmation to the plenary of MR. NOEL EUGENE
EUSEBIO MEJICA SERVIGON, Chief of Mission, Class I, as Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary and Permanent Representative of the Republic of the Philippines to the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta, Indonesia; MS. MA.
TERESITA CRUZ DAZA, Chief of Mission, Class II, as Ambassador Extraordinary and
Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Chile, with concurrent jurisdiction over the Republic of
Ecuador and the Republic of Peru; MR. CHRISTOPHER BALTAZAR MONTERO,
Chief of Mission, Class II, as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Brunei
Darussalam; MR. RAMON SEVILLA BAGATSING JR., as Ambassador Extraordinary
and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of India, with concurrent jurisdiction over the Federal
Democratic Republic of Nepal, with the salary and emoluments of a Chief of Mission, Class
I; and MR. NOE ALBANO WONG, as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary tothe Republic of Korea, with the salary and emoluments of a Chief of Mission, Class I, with
no objections raised.
The promotion of 43 AFP senior ranking officers led by Lieutenant Generals
Ronnie S. Evangelista and Macairog S. Alberto also got the Commission’s approval.
Among the other ad interim appointments in the AFP approved by the Commission,
upon the recommendation of the Commission’s Defense Committee Chair Rep. Seth
Frederick P. Jalosjos, were those of:
IGNACIO B. MADRIAGA to the rank of Brigadier General
JOEL Q. MAMON to the rank of Colonel, Philippine Army
LUCITO C. CARIN to the rank of Colonel, Philippine Army
FLORANTE M. AMANO to the rank of Brigadier General
RICKY P. BUNAYOG to the rank of Colonel, Philippine Army
RANDY M PASCUA to the rank of Colonel, Philippine Air Force
GIEMEL O. ESPINO to the rank of Colonel, Philippine Air Force
JOSE RITCHE M. PABILONIA to the rank of Colonel, Philippine Air Force
SAMUEL G. GOTICO to the rank of Major General
REY T. DELA CRUZ to the rank of Commodore
FRANCISCO ARIEL A. FELICIDARIO III to the rank of Brigadier General
RENO P. TOLENTINO to the rank of Brigadier General
FELIPE B. BEJAR, JR. to the rank of Major General
REGINALD B. RAPANAN to the rank of Commodore
THOMAS R. SEDANO, JR. to the rank of Brigadier General
LARRY B. MOJICA to the rank of Brigadier General
BEN HUR S. CUDAL to the rank of Brigadier General
CRESENCIANO A. MARQUEZ III to the rank of Brigadier General
ERWIN BERNARD L. NERI to the rank of Major General
FELIX M. BALANZA, JR. to the rank of Colonel, Philippine Air Force
RAMIRO MANUEL A. REY to the rank of Major General
ALFREDO A. SORIANO to the rank of Brigadier General
JOSE M. BENITEZ to the rank of Brigadier General
GILBERT F. SARET to the rank of Brigadier General
PABLO M. LORENZO to the rank of Major General
EUGENIO V. HERNANDEZ to the rank of Brigadier General
NESTOR C. HERICO to the rank of Brigadier General
ALFREDO V. ROSARIO, JR. to the rank of Brigadier General
BYRON H. CALIMAG to the rank of Major General
JESUS B. SARSAGAT to the rank of Major General
ROBERT C. DAUZ to the rank of Brigadier General
REY SIXTO R. MANGIBIN to the rank of Colonel, Dental Service (Reserve)PETER P. FONTANILLA to the rank of Colonel, Dental Service (Reserve)
BENJAMIN R. ELEOSIDA to the rank of Colonel, Dental Service
JONES M. MENDOZA to the rank of Colonel, Dental Service
FERDINAND L. MARCELINO to the rank of Colonel, Philippine Navy-Marines
JOSE C. FAUSTINO, JR. to the rank of Major General
PETER ANGELO L. RAMOS to the rank of Brigadier General
FLORENCIO RITCHIE I. CAPULONG III to the rank of Colonel, Medical
Administrative Corps
CHESTON D. VALENCERINA to the rank of Brigadier General
ORENCIO D. JERUTA to the rank of Colonel, Philippine Army
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