Duterte names as Tourism undersecretary dismissed SSS exec
More than two months after he was fired for his alleged irregularities at the Social Security System, Jose Gabriel La Vina is back in government.
This was after President Rodrigo Duterte appointed La Vina as an undersecretary of the Department of Tourism.
In an appointment paper signed on April 24 and was released to the media on Wednesday, Duterte said La Vina would replace Rolando Canizal.
"Presidential prerogative," said Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque in a text message to reporters when asked why La Vina was again appointed to a government post despite his dismissal last February as SSS commissioner.
It was Roque who announced two months ago that La Vina's appointment at SSS was not renewed as Duterte would "not tolerate even a whiff of corruption."
La Vina was fired after he allegedly demanded P26 million to fund an SSS social media project, with him as TV host, and for a budget of P1.6 million per month for a media advertising program.
According to Roque, La Vina also requested for the accreditation of seven brokers to handle SSS investments and that he allegedly embarked on a vilification campaign against four SSS executives who crossed his path.
La Vina, however, denied all the corruption allegations against him.
La Vina, who was then Duterte's social media director during the 2016 election campaign, was one among those who had picture taken with then Cambridge Analytica board of director Alexander Nix.
Recently, Cambridge Analytica reportedly illegally shared the data of 87 million Facebook users. About 1.2 million, who have FB accounts are Filipinos.
This was not the first time that Duterte reappointed in a government post an official who was dismissed or quit amid corruption allegations.
Former Bureau of Customs Commissioner Nicanor Faeldon who resigned amid the controversy on the P6.4 billion worth of shabu smuggling from China last year, was named as deputy director of the Office of Civil Defense.
Former Customs Import Assessment Service director Milo Maestrecampo and former deputy commissioner Gerardo Gambala, who resigned after they were also dragged in the smuggling controversy, were also given new positions in government.
Maestrecampo was named as Assistant Girector General II of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, while Gambala as Director IV of the Office for Transportation Security.
Duterte also appointed former Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority director Benny Diaz Antiporda as undersecretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. Celerina Monte/DMS
