Presidential Legislative Assistant Jacinto "Jing" Paras (DOLE photo)
MANILA -- Labor Undersecretary Jacinto "Jing" Paras, former 1st District Rep. of Negros Oriental, was named presidential legislative assistant under the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office.
President Rodrigo Duterte signed Paras' appointment paper on January 8, but a copy of the document was released to media on Monday (January 20).
Paras, a member of the Duterte-allied Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption, has filed complaints against former Commission on Elections chairman Andres Bautista over the 2016 elections data breach and former Overall Deputy Ombudsman Arthur Carandang for alleged "unlawful disclosure" of the Duterte family's bank transactions the following year.
In 2018, he filed three complaints against former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV over inciting to sedition connected to the lawmaker's remarks on the voiding of his amnesty; grave threats; and the senator's supposed remark to soldiers to shoot Duterte with their sub-machine guns.
In November 2019, Paras claimed that Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III was referring to him when he bared that there is a "cobra" and "traitor" within their department after he presented an affidavit to Malacañang regarding an alleged corruption activity involving some Labor officials and recruitment agencies.
Former National Parks Development Committee (NPDC) Executive Director Penelope Belmonte was named deputy director general of the National Anti-Poverty Commission.
During her stint with NPDC, the agency was awarded the ISO 9001:2015 certification last year through the Worldwide Quality Assurance Philippines, an accredited certification body of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
Belmonte said the new certification would push the NPDC to better deliver its mandate to develop, preserve, and manage Rizal Park, Paco Park, and other urban or open parks.
Duterte also appointed Ali Sangki as member of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority, the interim governing body of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and Ida Patron as Commissioner of the National Commission on Senior Citizens.
Other appointees were prosecutors, directors, and foreign service officers, among others. (PNA)
