Arroyo appoints new NTC chief

The National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) has a new chief. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo appointed Gamaliel Cordoba as NTC commissioner, replacing Ruel Canoba, who relinquished his post to attend to his sickly wife’s needs. The NTC supervises, adjudicates and exercises control over all telecommunications services throughout the country. Cordoba, a lawyer from the Ateneo Law School, is a member of the Fraternal Order of Utopia, the fraternity of the First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo. He also served as former assistant executive secretary, appointments secretary and board member of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor). Ermita said the President also appointed Derek Puertollano as assistant solicitor general. On Tuesday, President Arroyo assigned Deputy Director General Augusto Santos of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) as officer-in-charge of the socioeconomic planning body. Santos assumes the post of former senator Ralph Recto, who resigned earlier this month to pursue his senatorial plans next year. Ermita also said the President, under Executive Order 827, created a new office in the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) that would be called as office of the senior deputy commissioner. It will serve as the right hand of the BIR commissioner in achieving the 75-percent annual tax collection target. Aie Balagtas See, GMANewsTV