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New MMDA chairman meets staff ahead of official announcement


Malacañang has yet to publicly name him, but the new head of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) has started to quietly make the rounds of his new post. Former Tagaytay Mayor and new MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino met Friday with General Manager Roberto Nacianceno for a briefing on the ins and outs of his job. “I asked for a meeting with him yesterday so I can brief him. Nagkita kami isang oras (We met for an hour), I gave him a brief outline of what to expect," Nacianceno said on government-run dzRB radio Saturday. Tolentino replaces Oscar Inocentes, who was appointed by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo after then MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando decided to run for vice president in this year’s polls. Nacianceno said Tolentino appeared to have done his research. “I think he’s a very serious person. He looks like he’s well-read," Nacianceno said. On Friday, President Aquino gave hints about the new MMDA chairman but fell short of naming him. He said the new chief faced some charges that seemed to be "harassment suits." Aquino said he learned about the pending charges before the Office of the Ombudsman as he was conducting a background check on the new MMDA chief. "The explanation to me has already been made and it seems to be a case of harassment," Aquino said, adding that one of the charges was filed six years after the news MMDA chief finished his term as mayor. On the other hand, Nacianceno said he told the new chief that among the major problems the MMDA faces is the “never-ending work" in cleaning up Metro Manila of garbage that partly causes flooding when heavy rains come. He added that people in Metro Manila have yet to learn the lessons of “Ondoy" (Ketsana), which dumped heavy rains that triggered killer floods in the metropolis in September 2009. “Di na natuto ang tao sa Ondoy (People have not learned from Ondoy)," Nacianceno lamented. — with Mark D. Merueñas / LBG, GMANews.TV

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