Philippines: New DepEd Officials named

PRESS RELEASE
New DepEd Officials named

Education Secretary Br. Armin Luistro introduced to personnel of the Department
of Education (DepEd) its new set of undersecretaries during the flag ceremony
on Monday.

“This is the team we will be working with in the next few years,” said Luistro.
“They were chosen based on their competence and dedication to public service.”
Of the four newly appointed undersecretaries, one has been a career employee
for over 40 years and the rest are new to DepEd.

“Undersecretary Yolanda Quijano has been with DepEd for 43 years,” said
Luistro of the lone career appointee and only female in the group. “Her long
experience and historical knowledge of existing programs and projects make her
fit to hold the position of Undersecretary for Programs and Projects.”
The other members of the new administration are Undersecretary Alberto Muyot
for Legal and Legislative Affairs, Undersecretary Rizalino Rivera for Regional
Operations, and Undersecretary Francisco Varela for Finance and
Administration.

“Like me, they too sought divine intervention before they accepted my invitation
to join the department,” quips Luistro. “After much reflection, they decided to
respond to the call to help make a difference and accepted my invitation.”
Quijano began her career as an elementary school teacher immediately after
finishing her degree in elementary education at the Leyte Normal School. For
more than forty years, she occupied various positions focusing on primary and
special education until she was appointed to her current post.

A cum laude graduate from the University of the Philippines College of Law,
Muyot taught and practiced law, so to speak. He taught in his Alma Mater as
well as in the Angeles University Foundation, FEU-DLSU Law, Lyceum and
Miriam College. He also practiced lawyer in both private and public capacity.
Muyot is designated as the official spokesperson of the Department of Education
in response to the directive given by President Noynoy Aquino’s communications
team.

Rivera is a known change and organizational development expert who served as
a consultant to various local and multinational corporations. He is seen to fit the
job perfectly given the changes planned for implementation in the government’s
biggest bureaucracy. Before he was invited to join the Luistro team, he was
consultant to Change Consultants, Inc. and HBC, Inc.

Meanwhile, the new finance officer, Varela, has had a long experience in
financial management and administration. He finished his degree in Bachelor of
Science in Mathematics at the Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro City as
magna cum laude. He was president and CEO of the AB Capital and Investment
Corporation before he was invited to join the education portfolio.

Luistro said that while they have assigned initial responsibilities to the newly
appointed Undersecretaries, they are still in the process of reviewing the
organizational structure of the department. “Prior to determining a formal
structure, I have asked them to review and supervise their respective
departments so as not to disrupt the day to day operations of the agency,” he
added.