NTA gets first ever woman chief

BAGUIO CITY – President Marcos recently appointed certified public accountant Belinda Sanchez as the first woman chief of the National Tobacco Administration (NTA).

Sanchez, now also concurrent chief executive officer of NTA after Robert Victor Seares Jr., is a young achiever in the corporate arena and a seasoned accountant, whose expertise include analytical and cash flow planning and management.

The new NTA administrator, who finished Bachelor of Science in Accountancy at the University of Santo Tomas, is the daughter of farmer leader Benjamin Sarmiento, also a former member of the NTA governing board and a former San Juan, Ilocos Sur mayor.

Sanches’ appointment was confirmed by the NTA governing board on Nov. 21, 2022 following turnover rites at the NTA Central Office in Quezon City.

Upon her assumption at the helm of the NTA, she committed to ensure that the regulatory agency will continue to fulfill its mandate to improve the living conditions of tobacco farmers and further raise their quality of life amid challenges faced by the tobacco farming sector.