CLARK FREEPORT – Former Dumaguete City Mayor Felipo Remollo and retired Commission on Elections (Comelec) chairman Jose Melo were among those appointed by Pres. Aquino to posts long occupied by “cabalen” appointees of ex-Pres. Arroyo in the state-owned Clark Development Corp. (CDC) which runs this freeport.
The Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) said Remollo would assume post as CDC president and chief executive officer, while Melo would be director of the 10-member board of the state firm.
Arlene Sabat of the office of the president of the BCDA, which is the mother unit of CDC, also told Punto that Cesar Villanueva, former dean of the Ateneo law school, would take over as chairman of the CDC.
Remollo would replace Benigno Ricafort, who was appointed to the post by Pres. Arroyo but had been member of the CDC board since 1994, while Villanueva would replace Rizalino Navarro, also an Arroyo appointee.
Sabat said the “desire letter” of the President on the new appointments reached the BCDA last Monday last week when the appointment of former Bataan congressman Felicito Payumo, who was also former chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), as new chairman of the BCDA was announced.
Villanueva is the brother of Frank Villanueva who was appointed by the former president to the CDC board. It is not known whether the latter would be among those slated to be retained in the CDC board.
The appointment of Remollo came as a surprise to Clark investors and leaders of nearby towns and cities, amid initial reports that the President was likely to appoint a provincemate in Tarlac to the CDC post.
Sources said that Remollo was backed by former Sen. Mar Roxas who lost his vice presidential bid alongside the President under the Liberal Party in the last elections. Roxas was initially the bet of the Liberal Party for the presidential race then, but gave way to Aquino whose survey ratings then were high.
“This could be some kind of political accommodation for Roxas for his political plans in 2016, amid the increasing popularity of Vice Pres. Jejomar Binay whose presidential ambition is also known to all,” said a member of the Clark Investors and Locators Association (CILA) who asked not to be named.
A native of Dumaguete who now works as a doctor in a big hospital in nearby Angeles City described as “unimpressive” Remollo’s term as mayor of his city. “There were reports of some untoward reports during his term,” he said, declining to be more specific.
The new appointees would still have to be confirmed by the members of the board of the BCDA later this month and be named as members of the CDC board before they could assume post.
Most of the 10 members of the CDC board are also set to be replaced. One of those to assume post in the board is Francis Elum, a former CDC vice president.
The Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) said Remollo would assume post as CDC president and chief executive officer, while Melo would be director of the 10-member board of the state firm.
Arlene Sabat of the office of the president of the BCDA, which is the mother unit of CDC, also told Punto that Cesar Villanueva, former dean of the Ateneo law school, would take over as chairman of the CDC.
Remollo would replace Benigno Ricafort, who was appointed to the post by Pres. Arroyo but had been member of the CDC board since 1994, while Villanueva would replace Rizalino Navarro, also an Arroyo appointee.
Sabat said the “desire letter” of the President on the new appointments reached the BCDA last Monday last week when the appointment of former Bataan congressman Felicito Payumo, who was also former chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), as new chairman of the BCDA was announced.
Villanueva is the brother of Frank Villanueva who was appointed by the former president to the CDC board. It is not known whether the latter would be among those slated to be retained in the CDC board.
The appointment of Remollo came as a surprise to Clark investors and leaders of nearby towns and cities, amid initial reports that the President was likely to appoint a provincemate in Tarlac to the CDC post.
Sources said that Remollo was backed by former Sen. Mar Roxas who lost his vice presidential bid alongside the President under the Liberal Party in the last elections. Roxas was initially the bet of the Liberal Party for the presidential race then, but gave way to Aquino whose survey ratings then were high.
“This could be some kind of political accommodation for Roxas for his political plans in 2016, amid the increasing popularity of Vice Pres. Jejomar Binay whose presidential ambition is also known to all,” said a member of the Clark Investors and Locators Association (CILA) who asked not to be named.
A native of Dumaguete who now works as a doctor in a big hospital in nearby Angeles City described as “unimpressive” Remollo’s term as mayor of his city. “There were reports of some untoward reports during his term,” he said, declining to be more specific.
The new appointees would still have to be confirmed by the members of the board of the BCDA later this month and be named as members of the CDC board before they could assume post.
Most of the 10 members of the CDC board are also set to be replaced. One of those to assume post in the board is Francis Elum, a former CDC vice president.
