Pagasa chief retires early

MANILA, Philippines - Undersecretary Graciano Yumul has opted for early retirement from public service, effective March 12, an official of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) announced yesterday.

The reason for the resignation was not clear.

Aside from his job as DOST’s undersecretary for research and development, Yumul was also officer-in-charge of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA).

“It is with deep regret that I accept the decision of Undersecretary Graciano Yumul, Jr. to seek optional retirement from government service due to personal reasons,” Science Secretary Mario Montejo said in a press conference.

“There was no pressure from the government for him to resign,” Montejo noted. “Even I was surprised by his decision. I considered his reasons as very personal.”

Yumul was appointed as OIC of PAGASA after Prisco Nilo was sacked by President Aquino in August 2010, for failing to come up with an accurate forecast for storm “Basyang,” which battered Metro Manila and nearby areas.

According to the DOST secretary, Yumul’s career path as professor, scientist, and executive was marked by excellence and dedication, duly recognized by peers from the government, academe, and the private sector.

DOST spokesman Raymund Liboro clarified there was no politics involved in Yumul’s decision.

“There is no rift between him (Yumul) and Secretary Montejo or any government official,” Liboro said in a phone interview.

Yumul is the ninth government official to resign since Aquino took office in June 2010.

Others Cabinet secretaries who quit their posts were Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo; Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez; Commission on Elections chairman Jose Melo; Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines director general Alfonso Cusi; Transportation Secretary Jose de Jesus; Bureau of Corrections chief Ernesto Diokno; Deputy Ombudsman Mark Jalandoni; and Solicitor General Jose Cadiz.

There is no word yet as to whether Yumul will return to the private sector.

“Please be informed that starting March 12, 2012, I have optionally retired from government service,” Yumul said in a text message to The STAR.

Yumul also thanked the public for their support for DOST.

Montejo said he is recommending Dr. Amelia Guevara, executive director of the DOST’s Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development, as Yumul’s replacement.

The 52-year-old Yumul served in government for almost 28 years.

Sources from the weather bureau said Yumul also resigned as professor at the University of the Philippines’ National Institute of Geological Sciences.

There were speculations that Yumul will work with the private sector or abroad.

Meanwhile, Malacañang assuaged fears yesterday that Yumul had been pressured to resign, insisting the career official availed of early retirement instead.

“He (Yumul) didn’t resign, he opted for early retirement. It was a personal decision on his part,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda clarified to Palace reporters in a briefing.

“Certainly, he was a big help in government, but we can’t stop him from leaving (his post). We wish him well in his career,” he added, debunking speculations that Yumul, like former PAGASA chief Nilo, earned the ire of Aquino for wrong weather predictions. – With Delon Porcalla