Duterte appoints Romando Artes as MMDA chief

President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed Romando Artes as chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).

Artes' appointment letter was signed on March 1, according to the document issued by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea.

MMDA Undersecretary Frisco San Juan Jr., meanwhile, was appointed as general manager concurrent to being the agency’s deputy chairman, the agency said in a statement.

Artes replaced Benhur Abalos, who resigned last month to support former Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s presidential bid in the May 9 elections.

A lawyer and certified public accountant, Artes first served as the MMDA’s assistant general manager for finance and administration in May 2017, general manager in October 2021, and officer-in-charge in February 2022. 

"It is an honor to be appointed as the MMDA chairman. The agency has been my home for the past five years — from the term of the late Chairman Danilo Lim and later under Chairman Abalos," Artes said.

"I will continue to work for the completion of the projects and programs needed and pursuant to our mandates - traffic, solid waste and flood management, urban renewal, public safety among others and the equally important COVID-19 vaccination as we transition to the new normal." — VBL, GMA News