Pichay turns down offer of new govt post

MANILA, Philippines - Defeated administration senatorial candidate Prospero Pichay on Thursday said he will not accept his appointment as board member of the Local Waterworks and Utilities Administration (LWUA). A GMA Flash Report quoted Pichay, a former congressman, as saying that while he is grateful for Malacañang’s appointment, he is satisfied with his current job in a private company. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita on Wednesday said Pichay had been appointed member of the LWUA board and is being eyed as its chairman. "In due time we will make an official announcement. He has an appointment but we are just following the usual procedure of getting the final clearance from the President, but yes there is a contemplation of appointing him as chairman of the LWUA board," Ermita said then. The LWUA is a specialized lending institution that promotes and oversees the development of provincial waterworks. Pichay, who lost in his bid for a Senate seat under the administration ticket during the May 2007 polls, was previously rumored to be appointed head of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA). Other defeated administration senatorial bets who had been given government posts include former Senator Ralph Recto as National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) director-general and Vicente Sotto III as Dangerous Drugs Board chairman. Michael Defensor was also named head of the government task force to oversee the opening of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3. Defensor, however, has since resigned from the post. - Johanna Camille Sisante, GMANews.TV