De Venecia tapped as special envoy By JOCELYN MONTEMAYOR May 10, 2017 MALACANANG announced yesterday the appointment former Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. as special envoy for inter-cultural dialogue under the Department of Foreign Affairs, and at least 60 others. According to DFA spokesman Robespierre Bolivar, De Venecia’s role “is basically to advise the government regarding inter-cultural dialogue issues and to make recommendations to the government on how to advance Philippine interests as regards this issue.” De Venecia will hold the post until September this year. He is the founder of the Asian Parliamentary Assembly as well as the standing committee of the International Conference of Political Parties. Entertainment personality Mocha Uson is officially joining President Duterte’s communications team as she is now assistant secretary for social media under the Presidential Communications Operations Office headed by Martin Andanar. The appointment of Uson, who is Margaux Justiniano Uson in real life, was signed on May 8. Uson, an avid Duterte supporter, was first appointed as a member of the board of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) with a term ending on September 30. The Office of Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea said the MTRCB position is deemed relinquished upon Uson’s appointment to a new position in government. Uson maintains a blog which claims millions of followers and which features interviews with personalities. Others appointed include Commission on Higher Education Commissioner Lilian de las Llagas, Immigration Deputy Commissioner Tobias Javier, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency deputy director general Virgilio Hernandes, Dangerous Drug Board executive director Maria Belen Angelita Matibag, and National Irrigation Administration senior deputy administrator Abraham Bagasin. BALANCE The list of new appointees was released by Malacañang after the appointment of Roy Cimatu as head of the Department of Environment and Natural Resource and Nestor Espenilla Jr. as governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said Cimatu can find a balance between environmental concerns and mining issues. He also said there is no discussion about a the appointment to another position of Regina Lopez who was rejected by the Commission on Appointments last week as DENR chief. Cimatu said he wants to balance conservation and mining interests, signaling intent to settle a bitter dispute that has been one of the biggest economic conundrums of Duterte’s presidency. Cimatu, a retired general and former special envoy for overseas workers takes over in the thick of a crisis for mining firms hit by a sweeping campaign of shutdowns and suspensions by Lopez. The Philippines is the world’s top nickel ore supplier and markets will be closely watching Cimatu’s early moves in a post he had no idea he would be offered. LIMITED KNOWLEDGE He admitted his knowledge and experience of mining and the environment was limited, and he needed time to get familiar with the task in hand before deciding what comes next. “I will not take any action on things that I haven’t seen or read or reviewed. I will look at them first,” he told Reuters. Among those are 22 of 41 operating mines Lopez ordered closed in February, and her ban on open-pit mining. Her campaign won huge public support and the backing of the populist president, but that was not enough to see her spared by the Commission on Appointments. Green groups say that panel caved in to mining interests against the will of Filipinos, though several panel members rejected that, and said Lopez was blinded by her agenda and rode roughshod over regulations. Cimatu said it was possible to develop a mining industry while preserving the environment. “There are countries where mining contributes a lot to the economy and environmentalists are not screaming,” he said. When he was summoned to Malacañang on Monday, Cimatu thought it was to discuss support for Filipinos in South Korea amid tensions in the peninsula. “All of a sudden I was pulled somewhere else, then soon after was appointed,” he said. Cimatu said he admired the passion of Lopez and would seek her insight. – With Ashzel Hachero and Reuters http://www.malaya.com.ph/business-news/news/de-venecia-tapped-special-envoy .