Three new Philcomsat directors to assume office

A minor shake-up in the board of the Philippine Communications Satellite Corp. (Philcomsat) is in the offing as three new government nominees are set to assume office this week.

Philcomsat corporate secretary Amado Santiago said the company’s board has accepted the nominations of Presidential Management Staff (PMS) director Manuel Andal, former BayanTel executive Julio Jalandoni, and Enrique Locsin, the brother of Makati solon Teodoro Locsin.

The three were appointed by the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG), which as the state’s caretaker holds 35 percent of Philcomsat, equivalent to a representation of four seats in the nine-man board.

Andal replaced Edgardo Villanueva; Locsin took over from Carmelo Africa Jr.; and Jalandoni was appointed vice controversial businessman Pacifico Marcelo III, who had earlier replaced Benito Araneta.

Villanueva, Africa, Marcelo and Araneta, along with holdover board director Federico Agcaoili, were all endorsed to sit at the Philcomsat board by former President Estrada.

The new appointees, are backed by President Macapagal-Arroyo.

Santiago said the formal acceptance of the three new board members will be held this week following a deferment last week owing to a lack of quorum.

He said the newly-reconstituted board is expected to elect Honorio Poblador III as president after Africa, the former chairman and president, agreed to step down last January to give way to the new government appointees.

Poblador said the immediate assumption into office of the three is necessary to ensure a smooth transition in the telecommunication company’s ongoing reorganization.

"It is important and necessary, at this point, to fill in the vacant positions in the company’s board of directors to enable the company to earnestly move forward in achieving its targets," he said.

Aside from Poblador and the three new PCGG nominees, the other directors of Philcomsat are Manuel Nieto Jr., Lourdes Africa, Marietta Ilusorio, Federico Agcaoili and Katrina Ponce-Enrile.