Lawyer Gamaliel Cordoba, the National Telecommunications Commission chair who has already served two presidents, is set to extend his tenure as head of the telecom regulatory body after Malacanang announced his re-appointment on Thursday, July 4.
Cordoba was first appointed by Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2009 and was subsequently retained by Pres. Benigno ?Noynoy? Aquino III. In terms of length of service as NTC chief, he has already surpassed the record of the agency?s first commissioner, Ceferino C. Carreon, who held office from August 1979 to March 1986.
According to online site politics.com.ph, Cordoba?s staying power can be attributed to the backing of the influential religious sect Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC).
On the day that his appointment was announced by the Palace, Ateneo-educated Cordoba joined Department of ICT secretary Rodolfo Salalima in the signing of an agreement with local telcos for the activation of Davao-style Rescue 911 for the whole country.
Although the NTC is an attached unit under the newly formed DICT, the regulatory agency will continue to function as a quasi-judicial body that will oversee the local telecom industry.
On a related development, Malacanang also announced the appointment of musician and steel magnate Ramon P. Jacinto as presidential adviser on economic affairs and ICT with the rank of undersecretary.
