PNoy: Alvarez stays on as Customs commissioner

Angelito Alvarez keeps his post as head of the Bureau of Customs, President Benigno Aquino confirmed Tuesday, dispelling speculations he is about to be replaced. “I haven’t appointed anybody. He [Alvarez] is there, right now," Aquino said at a press briefing in Capiz on Panay Island. Last month, Elizabeth Lee resigned as president of the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. and chief operating officer of Universal Motors Corp. That move fueled speculations she would soon replace the Customs chief. But Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima already said Alvarez will stay on as Customs chief. Meanwhile, on the recommendees of Secretary Manuel Roxas II for key posts in the Department of Transportation and Communications which he now leads, the President said he has yet to see the list. “I understand it will be on my desk this afternoon," Aquino said. — Amita Legaspi/ELR/VS, GMA News