MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has picked information and communications technology expert Nelson Celis as Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner, Malacañang said on Monday.

"Malacañang confirms the nomination of Mr. Nelson Celis to COMELEC as a Commissioner," said Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles.

In a separate statement, Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said Celis was appointed to the position on Thursday and would serve the poll body until Feb. 2, 2029.

He will replace Commissioner Aimee Torrefranca-Neri, Laudiangco said.

"We sincerely believe that his expertise and long experience in Information Technology will immensely benefit the COMELEC and further enhance the automation of our electoral processes," the poll body said.

Comelec added that Celis' appointment would help chart the poll body's direction, particularly in the future of automated elections.

Celis is the founding director of the National Association of Data Protection Officers of the Philippines, a position he has held since 2017.

A graduate of De La Salle University and Don Bosco Technical College, he is also an electronics and communications engineer with more than 37 years of experience and information technology and management.

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