DUTERTE DESIGNATES MEDIALDEA AS OIC

PRESIDENT has designated Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea as caretaker of government while he is in Singapore to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit. He signed Special Order 371 on Thursday but was released to the media on Friday. “To ensure continuity of government service, it is necessary to designate an Officer-In- Charge (OIC) to take care of the day-to- day operations in the Office of the President and oversee the general administration of the Executive Department,” Duterte said in his order. He left the country on Thursday on board a “borrowed” private jet. He joined other Asean leaders on Friday and Saturday for the 32nd summit which Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will host. Apart from attending the Asean opening ceremony and Leaders’ Retreat on April 28, Duterte is expected to have a bilateral meeting with the Singapore prime Minister on the sidelines of the summit. A possible meeting is also being worked out between Duterte and his counterparts from Indonesia, Mynamar or Vietnam. The President is also expected to meet with members of the business community in Singapore to invite them to invest in the country, as well as members of the Filipino community there to check on their situation and update them on the developments in the country. He is expected to return to the country late Saturday night, April 28.