Malacanang has appointed Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) officer-in-charge and undersecretary Eliseo M. Rio as the agency?s new acting secretary.
The appointment comes six months after Rodolfo Salalima, the DICT?s first secretary, resigned from his post. Rio has since served as OIC of the department as rumors swirled that Sen. Gregorio ?Gringo? Honasan is being groomed as the new DICT chief.
Rio?s designation as acting secretary was dated May 8, 2018, a copy of the appointment paper showed. DICT assistant secretary John Henry Naga posted the document, along with a photo of him with Rio flashing the fist salute associated with the Duterte administration.
As acting secretary of the DICT, Rio will serve in a temporary capacity until a permanent appointment is made by the president. His appointment also does not require confirmation by the Commission on Appointments.
The soft-spoken Rio is a former military general and commissioner of the National Telecommunications Commission.
