Duterte accepts DICT Usec Rio’s resignation

Eliseo Rio Jr.

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has accepted the resignation of Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary Eliseo Rio Jr., Malacañang said Friday.

“We likewise affirm that the President has accepted the resignation of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary Eliseo Rio, Jr,” Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.

“The Palace thanks Usec. Rio for his invaluable services to the nation and we wish him well in all his future endeavors,” he added.

Rio, who led the country’s search for a third telecommunications player, resigned from his post in February.

Following his resignation, Rio pointed to the supposed anomaly involving confidential funds at DICT which he said were not under the agency’s mandate.

DICT, however, stressed that  the confidential and intelligence funds were “legitimately used” for the country’s cybersecurity concerns.

Rio is a retired general who also served as DICT’s acting secretary. He was reassigned as undersecretary in July 2019 after former senator Gringo Honasan was appointed as DICT chief.

Rio also previously served as commissioner of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

GSG