MANILA (UPDATE)-- President Rodrigo Duterte has accepted the resignation of Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary Eliseo Rio Jr., Malacañang said Friday.
The 75-year-old Rio, who led the selection for the Philippines' third telco, resigned from his post in February citing complications in the agency and old age.
"The Palace thanks Usec. Rio for his invaluable services to the nation and we wish him well in all his future endeavors," Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said.
"Siya po ay talagang competent at talaga naman pong mapagkakatiwalaan at wala pong bahid ang kaniyang karakter," he said in a DZMM interview.
(He's competent and really trustworthy, and his character is untainted.)
Rio is a licensed Electronics and Communications Engineer who finished 4th in the ECE Board Exams in 1971. After retiring from the Philippine Army with the rank of brigadier general, he was appointed to the National Telecommunications Commission in 2001.
The DICT is headed by ex-senator Gregorio Honasan, a former military man like Rio.
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