DOJ usec named new ERC chief

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino has appointed Justice Undersecretary Jose Vicente Salazar as chairman of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC).

Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said yesterday the President signed Salazar’s appointment papers on July 31. Salazar will serve until July 10, 2022.

Salazar would replace Zenaida Ducut, whose seven-year term ended on July 10. Former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo appointed Ducut to the ERC in 2008.

“I am grateful to the President for the trust and the confidence. The appointment to the ERC is an honor and privilege which I accept wholeheartedly and with much humility. I am also grateful for the opportunity to place my training as an electrical engineer and as a lawyer at the disposal of our countrymen as I perform my role as ERC chair,” he said.

Salazar said the task of providing our countrymen with reliable energy supply at competitive rates is a major challenge.

“Our aspiration is to get all the stakeholders working together to achieve that goal,” he said.

Salazar was former justice undersecretary in charge of energy matters, chairman of the Department of Energy-Department of Justice Task Force on the Downstream Oil Industry Deregulation Act of 1998 and board member of the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. He was also DOJ undersecretary in charge of the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking.

Salazar, a BS in Electrical Engineering graduate of the University of the Philippines, earned his law degree from the Ateneo de Manila University. He finished his Masters in Public Administration at Harvard University.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima reportedly endorsed Salazar’s appointment. – With Aurea Calica