Renato Solidum Jr. of Phivolcs. (File photo / Joseph Vidal of Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has appointed Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) chief Renato Solidum Jr. as the next secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
This was disclosed Friday by Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles.
“We confirm the appointment of Mr. Renato Solidum Jr. as Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology,” Cruz-Angeles said in a text message.
“He is a geologist who has worked with Phivolcs and is currently undersecretary of the DOST for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation,” she added.
Solidum obtained his Bachelor of Science in Geology degree from the University of the Philippines and finished his master’s degree in Geological Sciences from the University of Illinois.
He obtained his doctorate in Earth Sciences from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California.
Solidum has worked in Phivolcs since 1984 and became its Director in 2003 up to February 2017. He has been the officer-in-charge of the agency since March 2017.