CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (MindaNews / 15 Sep) – President Rodrigo Duterte appointed his social media director in the 2016 elections, Jose Gabriel “Pompee” La Viña, to head the Phividec Industrial Authority in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental.
Pompee La Viña with President Duterte. Photo from Pompee La Viña’s Facebook page
In a phone interview with MindaNews on Tuesday, La Viña confirmed his appointment by President Duterte to head the 4,000-hectare industrial estate.
La Viña declined to comment further on his appointment pending his assumption of office this coming Thursday.
“After Thursday, I will be open for interviews. Right now I am busy preparing for my assumption to office,” La Viña said.
La Viña will replace former Iligan City Mayor Franklin Quijano who served as administrator and chief executive officer of Phividec in the past two years.
President Duterte appointed Quijano as commissioner of the newly established National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) under the Office of the President.
Quijano said the NCSC still “has no office, no personnel, no budget and still has no implementing rules and regulations (IRR).”
“This is the major challenge for me. I have to set up all of that. I do not even know where to draw my salary,” Quijano told MindaNews.
During his two-year stint with Phividec, Quijano had a run-in with Rep. Juliette Uy (2nd District, Misamis Oriental) over the controversial dumping of South Korean garbage in the industrial complex.
La Viña too is a controversial political figure, especially during his campaign while running against Cagayan de Oro Mayor Oscar Moreno in last year’s elections. He lost by a wide margin.
Duterte also appointed La Viña as commissioner of the Social Security System and later as undersecretary of the Department of Tourism.
The President did not renew the appointment of La Viña as SSS commissioner amid allegations of corruption. (Froilan Gallardo / MindaNews)
