Aquino names ex-WPD chief as acting BuCor director

President Benigno Aquino III has named retired Western Police District (now Manila Police District) chief General Ernesto Diokno as acting director of the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor). Diokno, who served as WPD chief during the term of Aquino's mother, the late President Corazon Aquino, replaced retired National Police chief Oscar Calderon as head of BuCor. He was WPD Chief from 1989 to 1992 replacing then Manila Police chief and now Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim. One of the highlights of Diokno’s career as WPD chief, according to the Manila Police District Website, was “the neutralization of the notorious criminal in the 1980s ‘Ben Tumbling.’" The Office of the Executive Secretary (OES) also announced Tuesday the appointments of Pedro Baliang, Crispulo Bautista, and Paz Mones as acting Regional Directors of the Department of Agriculture (DA). Also among the new appointees were Ronald de Jesus, Roger de Dios, Edilberto Arreza and Alilo Ensomo Jr. as acting Regional Directors of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau under the Department of Environment and National Resources. Baliang and Mones were former assistant regional directors while Bautista was a technical regional director for Ilocos region of the DA. De Jesus, De Dios, Arreza and Ensomo are regional directors from Visayas and Mindanao. Also appointed were Dominique Rubia-Tutay, Amuerfina Reyes, Violeta Illescas, Jay Julian, Celeste Valderrama and Cristina Quismundo as acting Directors IV and Joel Gonzales and Nicon Fameronag as acting Directors III of the Department of Labor and Employment. The OES also released the appointment papers of Corazon Guray as Director IV and Baldovino Valdez as Director III of the Department of Interior and Local Government; and Catherine Castañeda, Emmylou Yanga, Virgina Akiate, and Zenaida Gersana as Directors IV of the Commission on Higher Education. Aquino has until September 25 to fill up some 4,300 positions in government before the appointment ban due to the barangay elections on October 25. — LBG/RSJ, GMANews.TV