MANILA, Philippines ? Power distributor Manila Electric Co. said its board of directors appointed Oscar S. Reyes as senior executive VP and chief operating officer of the company, effective July 1.

In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, Meralco said Reyes effectively replaced Jose P. de Jesus as COO who was appointed as secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communications by President Benigno ?Noynoy? Aquino III.

Reyes is concurrently the company's chief energy advisor of Meralco.

He also currently serves as a director of the Philippine Long Distance Tel. Co. and as chairman of MRL Gold Phils. Inc. and Link Edge Inc.

Reyes is a member of the board of directors of the Bank of the Philippine Islands, Manila Water Co. Inc., Smart Communications Inc., Pepsi Cola Products Philippines Inc., Basic Energy Corp., Sun Life Financial Plans Inc. and First Philippine Electric Corp.

He is also member of the board of trustees of the Pilipinas Shell Foundation Inc., SGV Foundation and El Nido Foundation Inc.

Prior to his current position in Meralco, Reyes served as the country chair of the Shell Companies in the Philippines from 1997 to 2001 and concurrently the managing director of Shell Philippines Exploration BV until 2002.

He served as the management adviser of Shell Philippines Exploration BV and as CEO adviser of Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. from 2002 to 2004.

Reyes finished his economics degree at the Ateneo de Manila University in 1965. He also took post-graduate studies at the Ateneo Graduate School of Business, Waterloo Lutheran University and Harvard Business School.