President Rodrigo R. Duterte listens to members of the Cabinet during the second Cabinet meeting at the State Dining Room in Malacañan Palace on July 11. Presidential Photographers Division/King Rodriguez
MANILA, Philippines — A musician and a former lawyer of alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim-Napoles were among the new appointees of President Rodrigo Duterte.
The president has appointed musician and entrepreneur Ramon Jacinto as Presidential Adviser on Economic Affairs and Information Technology Communications with the rank of undersecretary, a statement issued Thursday by the Presidential Communications Office said.
Meanwhile, Lanee Cui-David, a lawyer of Napoles, was named deputy commissioner of the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR).
She was a partner of the David Cui-David Buenaventura & Ang Law Offices, which handled the tax evasion and corruption charges against the Napoles family. In previous interviews, Cui-David said she left the law firm after her appointment to the tax bureau.
The president also appointed retired military general Arthur Tabaquero as Presidential Adviser on Military Affairs with the rank of undersecretary. Tabaquero is a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy class ’78, the same class that adopted former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo as an honorary member.
He also served as the commander of the Eastern Mindanao Command and National Capital Region Command.
Jesus Clint Aranas, meanwhile, was named BIR deputy commissioner. Aranas serves as the national treasurer of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan, the party of Duterte.
Duterte also reappointed Gamaliel Cordova as commissioner of the National Telecommunications Commission while Raymundo de Vera Elefante was named Defense undersecretary for finance, ammunitions, installations and materials.
http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2016/07/14/1602800/musician-ex-napoles-lawyer-among-dutertes-new-appointees
