TACLOBAN CITY-President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino has named the younger brother of Energy Secretary Jericho Carlos Petilla as the chair of the Regional Development Council for Eastern Visayas.
But Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla quashed the notion that his appointment as RDC chair was mainly due to his closeness to the President.
The governor is just serving on his first term in office, making him the first ever RDC chair to be named so despite of his being a neophyte leader.
“No, I don’t think so. May be he believes on my capacity and that I can do something for the region and for Leyte,” Petilla said.
Petilla said that he received a fax copy of his appointment late last week. During the interview, he could not recall the exact date of his appointment.
With his appointment, the governor joined his mother, Remedios, and brother, Jericho Petilla, to head the RDC, the highest policy making of the region.
Remedios, who was then serving her last term as governor, served the RDC as its chair from 2001 to 2004. Her son, Jericho Petilla, was also serving his last term as governor when he chaired the body from 2010 up to 2012.
After he was appointed by the President as Energy Secretary in May of 2012, the post remained vacant.
Earlier, RDC tried to nominate Remedios, her sister Carmen Cari, mayor of Baybay City, as possible chair.
Cari later declined her nomination saying she does not want to fight with her elder sister, who was appointed as the representative to the RDC by the League of the Municipal Mayors-Leyte chapter.
However, the appointment of Remedios was said to have been declined due to her not being qualified. The RDC, during its July meeting, elected Gov. Petilla instead.
Gov. Petilla vowed to use his post to help hasten the rehabilitation for Eastern Visayas, particularly Leyte, which was hard-hit by supertyphoon Yolanda.
He will assume the post in October coinciding the first meeting of the RDC wherein he will preside.
