MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the nomination of former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Benjamin De Los Santos as the new president and chief executive officer of the Philippine Pharma Procurement Inc. (PPPI).
De Los Santos took his oath before Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez in a virtual ceremony this Thursday.
PPPI, a pharmaceutical government-owned and controlled corporation, is under the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
“First, I need to check on the bidding process and fulfill my mandate on medicines for the poor. With the supervision of DTI, I believe PPPI can be productive enough for the country,” Del Los Santos said.
“As a lawyer, rest assured my leadership will all be legal and above board,” he added.
Malacañang first announced De Los Santos’ appointment in a letter signed by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea dated June 2.
The letter was addressed to PPPI’s board of directors.
De Los Santos, a retired police officer, was appointed as BuCor chief in November 2016 but resigned the next year following the supposed resurgence of the illegal drug trade in the New Bilibid Prison.