DAVAO CITY (MindaNews/14 September) – Lawyer Jesus Dureza, the first chair of the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA), will formally turn over his post to former South Cotabato 1st district Rep. Luwalhati Ricasa-Antonino at 10 a.m. tomorrow, Wednesday, at the MinDA office in the SSS building here.
The turnover comes 12 days after Antonino’s appointment was announced at the Tuna Congress in General Santos City by President Benigno Aquino’s representative there, former Senator and defeated vice presidential candidate Manuel “Mar” Roxas.
Despite criticisms about her alleged lack of qualifications and her alleged “anti-Moro” stance, Antonino, representative of the 1st district of South Cotabato from 1992 to 2001, wife of former GenSan mayor Adelbert Antonino and mother of incumbent mayor Darlene Antonino-Custodio, took her oath of office along with several other appointees last Monday in Malacanang, before President Aquino.
Dureza told the 1st Davao Regional Media Conference at the Blue Jaz resort in Samal City last Saturday that the turn over would be September 15, upon the request of Antonino.
He urged the public to support Antonino.
The resume released by Ms Antonino to MinDA. a copy of which MindaNews received late Monday, listed Antonino’s address as “No. 5 Fifth Street, New Manila, Quezon City.”
She listed her “provincial address” as “National Highway, General Santos City.
Antonino was born in “Upi, North Cotabato” on October 22. No year was indicated but congressional records put her year of birth in 1942.
She has two daughters, Darlene and Eliza Bettina R. Antonino, who worked as a staff member of Senator Roxas.
Antonino lists under Education, BS Chemical Engineering from the University of Santo Tomas. No year of graduation was mentioned
The same resume says “Graduate Course/MBA in Economics/ New York University, New York” but no year of graduation was mentioned.
As congressman, she was chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs from Sept. 1998 to December 2000; vice chair of the Committee on Appropriations from Sept. 1998 to December 2000; and a member of the committees on Muslim Affairs; Games and Amusement; Good Government; Women; and Agriculture Labor and Employment and Special Committee on East Asean Growth Area.
She was also co-chair of the Philippine Legislators’ Committee on Population and Development Foundation, Inc. and was president of the Mindanao Legislators Association.
Antonino was also chair of the Young Achievers Movement Foundation (no year mentioned), was a member of the Advisory Board of the Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation; was
Analyst/Researcher of the National Institute of Science and Technology; and was Economic and Statistical Analyst at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, United Nations, New York from 1965 to 1973.
Antonino is principal author of R.A. 7877 or An act declaring sexual harassment unlawful in the employment, education or training environment, and for other purposes; and R.A. 7882 or An act providing assistance to women engaging in micro and cottage business enterprises, and for other purposes.
Section 7 of RA 9996 states that the MinDA chair “shall be appointed by the President of the Philippines with a Cabinet rank and shall act as the Head of office. He/she shall serve a term of six years from the date of his/her appointment unless removed for cause.”
The same section states that “no person shall be appointed as chairperson unless he/she is a holder of a degree in law or a masteral degree in any of the following fields: economics, business, public administration, law, management, or their equivalent and have at least ten (10) years relevant experience in said fields: provided, further, that he/she shall be a resident of Mindanao for at least (5) years before the appointment; Provided, finally, that he/she shall also be the Philippine Senior Official for BIMP-EAGA and shall likewise be an ex officio member of the NEDA Board and the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority Board. (Carolyn O. Arguillas/MindaNews)