Press Secretary Jesus G. Dureza is moving on to become the Chief Presidential Legal Counsel while Presidential Management Staff (PMS) head Cerge Remonde will become Press Secretary.
This Cabinet “shifting,” to take effect on Feb. 1 was announced by Executive Secretary and concurrent Presidential Spokesman Eduardo Ermita in his weekly press conference with the Malacanang Press Corps (MPC) this afternoon (Jan. 21).
To replace Remonde as PMS head is Presidential Adviser for the Peace Process Hermogenes Esperon Jr.; and to take over him as PAPP is retired Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Avelino Razon, presently the deputy national security adviser.
The outgoing press secretary and incoming palace lawyer – who had requested President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for a lighter assignment in the meantime as his wife, the former Elizabeth Salutillo, battles a debilitating kidney ailment – thanked the President for “her trust and confidence.”
Dureza, who studied Law at the Ateneo de Davao Law School, placed 10th in the 1973 Philippine Bar Exams, scoring 100 percent in Criminal Law. Thus, he has “very good credentials as Presidential Legal Counsel,” said Ermita.
In his statement, Dureza said, “I feel greatly privileged and honored to be chosen by Her Excellency the President as her Chief Presidential Legal Counsel.”
“Being the President’s legal adviser will bring me new challenges and fresh work perspectives. This will be an enriching experience for me,” said Dureza who added that “as Palace Lawyer, I will be working in a field where I have also devoted many of my fruitful years – as law practitioner and in the government.”
“In this new assignment, I will continue to connect with the press and the public,” said Dureza, pointing out that his stint as Press Secretary for seven months “allowed me to revisit my first career as a journalist.”
“It gave me a chance to work closely with my former colleagues in the media as well as new media acquaintances along the way. I thank the different units of the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) and the Malacanang Press Corps (MPC) for the support they have given me as Press Secretary.”
Remonde, who will take over Dureza, was a former six-term chairman of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas (KBP), and is also “angkop na angkop” as OPS head, said Ermita.
Meanwhile, Ermita revealed Esperon recommended his Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class 1974 “classmate” Razon to take his place, as both the Armed Forces and the PNP are “deeply involved in peace and security.”
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