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Duterte assigns Medialdea as OIC while he attends APEC Summit in Vietnam
FILE: Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea was assigned by President Rodrigo Duterte as government caretaker while he is in Da Nang, Vietnam to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit from November 8 to 11. (PNA photo by Avito C. Dalan)
Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea was assigned by President Rodrigo Duterte as government caretaker while he is in Da Nang, Vietnam to attend the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit from November 8 to 11.
Duterte signed Special Order 993 on Tuesday appointing Medialdea as Officer-In-Charge (OIC) to assure that the government continues its operations during his official visit to Vietnam.
“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,” the order read.
If necessary, the Executive Secretary shall act for and on behalf of the President, except on the matters that the President is required by the Constitution to act in person.
All departments, agencies, and instrumentalities of the Government were directed to assist Medialdea in the discharge of his functions as stated in the order.
“All acts of the Executive Secretary for and on behalf of the President pursuant to this Order shall be deemed acts of the President unless disapproved or reprobated by the President,” the order specified.
It was not the first time Medialdea was assigned as OIC by the President as he was also designated as caretaker of the government during Duterte’s three-day visit to Japan on October 30, 2017.
Medialdea was assigned by Duterte a few times in some of his international trips including a previous one in Vietnam, then China, Peru, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Singapore, Cambodia, and Myanmar.
The Chief Executive is scheduled to leave on Wednesday afternoon for Vietnam. He is set to meet the United States President Donald Trump for the first time during the welcome dinner for APEC leaders on November 8.
