Four top CDC executives replaced

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga — The president and chief executive officer of Clark Development Corp. (CDC) fired four of the state-run firm’s top executives, three of them appointees of former President Joseph Estrada.

Emmanuel Angeles, who was named CDC chief by President Arroyo last March, announced yesterday the replacements of executive vice president Hilana Timbol-Roman, vice president for planning Ernesto Gorospe, vice president for operations Rolando Tongko, and vice president for business development Francis Elum.

He promoted Noel Manankil, officer-in-charge for finance, as vice president for finance.

Timbol-Roman, who has been closely associated with Estrada’s impeachment trial lawyer Estelito Mendoza, joined the CDC in September 1998.

Gorospe and Tongko were also appointed vice presidents during Estrada’s term, while Elum had been in his post since the CDC’s creation in 1993.

Angeles, in a memorandum yesterday, said the new appointments were authorized by the 12-member CDC board, nine of whom were appointed under the Arroyo government.

Angeles announced the appointments of Victor Jose Luciano as executive vice president, Romeo Dyoco as vice president for planning and business development, and Douglas Yballe as vice president for administration and operations.

Luciano is a son of retired Court of Appeals Justice Ines Luciano of Magalang, Pampanga.

Timbol-Roman said she was prepared for Angeles’ announcement, as she debunked reports that there were moves to oust persons associated with the Estrada administration in the CDC which runs the Clark Special Economic Zone.

She said the CDC board decides the appointment of vice presidents yearly.

Angelo Lopez, CDC public affairs and information chief, said Angeles has the "managerial prerogative" to appoint as vice presidents persons whom he wants to be part of his management team.

"Mr. Angeles had the backing of the CDC board which authorized him to make the changes," he said.

Dyoco has a masteral degree in Business Administration from the Ateneo de Manila University and a doctorate in Philippine Studies from the University of the Philippines.

Yballe has a masteral degree in Business Administration from St. Louis University in Missouri, USA.

Manankil rose from the technical ranks of the CDC and was designated officer-in-charge for finance last year.

The CDC’s board of directors is composed of Angeles as president and chief executive officer, former Trade and Industry Secretary Rizalino Navarro as chairman, Bases Conversion Development Authority chief Rogelio Singson as vice chairman, and Wilhelmina Paras, Armando Madamba, Max Sangil, Jesus Nicdao, Restituto Capulong, Precioso Perlas, Benigno Ricafort, Eloisa Narciso and Luciano as directors.

Except for Paras and Capulong, the rest were appointed only recently. Ricafort and Narciso also served as CDC board directors during the Ramos administration.

The Clark ecozone now hosts 288 firms, including 116 industrial projects. Some 21,000 workers are now employed at the zone.