Liberal Party stalwart appointed head of TRB

A member of the ruling Liberal Party has been appointed to a key post in government, the Department of Transportation and Communications (DoTC) announced Thursday.

DoTC Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas II said former Marinduque Representative Edmund Reyes Jr., who failed in his reelection bid during the 2011 poll exercise, was recently named executive director of the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB).

The TRB is the agency responsible in managing and regulating fees imposed on motorists using the major superhighways in the country.

Reyes replaced Manuel Imperial. His appointment took effect on January 5.

During his time at the Lower House, Reyes was a member of key committees such as the public works and highways, transportation and communications, and ways and means.

He is the latest of a string of officials appointed to different posts at agencies attached to the DoTC.

Roxas, who also lost his vice presidential bid during the elections in May 2010, took over as head of the DoTC last July.

Roxas is the current head of the Liberal Party. President Benigno Aquino III is the party’s titular head and chairman.

On Wednesday, the government also announced the appointments of Pablo Roces Nava III as board member of the TRB, and Apollo Enriquez, who was named board member of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).

Before his appointment, Nava was a private lawyer specializing in corporate cases. He also used to be a member of Iloilo’s Sangguniang Bayan.

Enriquez, meanwhile, took the seat recently vacated by Noemi Saludo, whose fixed term expired this month.

Enriquez holds a master’s degree in geotechnical engineering from the Asian Institute of Technology in Bangkok. He used to work for the international structural design firm Ove Arup & Partners in Hong Kong.

His local experience includes a term as chairman of the Professional Regulation Commission’s civil engineering board.

Earlier this week, Roxas announced the appointment of Al Vitangcol III as president of the Metro Rail Transit Corp., which operates the MRT train line. Vitangcol played a vital role in the administration’s infrastructure program as head of the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center.