MANILA, Philippines — After four months, President Rodrigo Duterte has accepted the resignation of Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary Eliseo Rio Jr.
"The Palace thanks Usec. Rio for his invaluable services to the nation and we wish him well in all his future endeavors," presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement released Friday.
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The Palace confirms that OCD Assistant Secretary Kristoffer James Purisima has been relieved from his post effective immediately due to loss of trust and confidence.
— Harry Roque (@attyharryroque) May 22, 2020
We likewise affirm that the President has accepted the resignation of DICT Undersecretary Eliseo Rio, Jr. pic.twitter.com/ejS8VkuZZt
The undersecretary tendered his resignation in a letter dated January 30. In February, Rio raised concerns over an anomalous P300 million in confidential funds disbursed by the DICT.
However, Rio and DICT Secretary Gregorio Honasan later said in a joint statement that the issue over the confidential funds was settled. They further clarified that the confidential expense was only used for the lawful monitoring and surveillance of systems and network infrastructure.
Rio led the effort to establish a third major communications player in the country. He was a former Army general who headed the Armed Forces of the Philippines' communications, electronic and information systems until the 2000. He also served as the chief of the National Telecommunications Commission until 2002.