CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed his chief social media strategist during the 2016 elections to head the Phividec Industrial Authority (PIA), a government-owned and controlled corporation that operates the country’s largest industrial estate.
In a phone interview, Jose Gabriel “Pompee” La Viña confirmed his appointment by Duterte.
He said he is set to assume the post on Thursday (Sept. 17).
La Viña will replace former Iligan City Mayor Franklin M. Quijano, who served as PIA administrator and chief executive officer in the past three years.
Established in 1974, PIA is mandated to identify and develop sites in the country as prospective industrial areas.
Currently, it operates the 3,000-hectare Phividec Industrial Estate that straddles the towns of Tagoloan and Villanueva in Misamis Oriental province.
The industrial park hosts over 60 locators that employ close to 5,000 workers.
The estate also hosts the Mindanao Container Terminal, the region’s major platform for international trade.
In the 2016 elections, La Viña led the Duterte campaign’s push in the social media realm. He was then appointed commissioner of the Social Security System but was fired for alleged abuse of public funds, only to be transferred to the tourism department as undersecretary.
During the 2019 midterm elections, La Viña lost a bid to unseat Cagayan de Oro Mayor Oscar Moreno.
TSB