SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) administrator Armand Arreza announced on Monday that the new SBMA chairman will assume office after a turnover ceremony scheduled on June 3.
He also denied recent reports that the appointment of his own replacement had been faked, and that the incoming official has backed out from the position of SBMA administrator.
Arreza said that SBMA chairman Feliciano Salonga will formally hand over the reins of the SBMA Board of Directors to SBMA director Roberto Garcia, who was appointed by President Aquino on April 7 to be the new chairman and head of agency.
At the same time, the SBMA official clarified that business executive Rafael Reyes, whom President Aquino appointed as SBMA administrator, has neither accepted the appointment nor backed out from serving as Arreza’s replacement and may have a separate turnover ceremony before assuming the post.
“Reyes’ appointment is not a fake, nor did he resign or back out as news reports had said,” Arreza stressed to SBMA employees during the flag-raising ceremony here on Monday.
The announcement refuted some newspaper accounts that Reyes had backed out from his appointment to the position of SBMA administrator.
Arreza said that Reyes is still connected with a private company, where there are important matters and corporate issues that he has to attend to before formally accepting the SBMA appointment.
Arreza had first announced the appointment of Garcia and Reyes during another flag-raising ceremony here last month, saying that Garcia will replace Salonga as chairman, and that Reyes will take his place as SBMA administrator.
He also told SBMA employees that Garcia will assume office in the first week of June, while Reyes will move into his office in the last week of July.
