Corona impeachment prosecutor named to head LTFRB

MANILA, Philippines—President Aquino on Tuesday tapped a private prosecutor in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona to chair the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Winston M. Ginez would replace Jaime Jacob, who resigned in March.

Ginez was among the private lawyers who signed up for the House of Representatives team to prosecute the impeached Corona, who in May 2012 was voted out of office by senators after finding him guilty of misdeclaring his assets.

Ginez, 44, will take his oath before Transportation Secretary Joseph E.A. Abaya on Thursday. Abaya was the manager of the House prosecution team in the Corona trial.

The Department of Transportation and Communications applied for exemption from the appointments’ ban in the run-up to the May 13 elections, and this was granted by the Commission on Elections, he said.

After Jacob’s resignation, the President named then LTFRB board director Al Parreño, also a private prosecutor in the Corona trial, to fill two vacancies in the Comelec along with election lawyer Luie Tito Guia.

Parreño and Guia replaced retired commissioners Armando C. Velasco and Rene V. Sarmiento. They will serve until Feb. 2, 2020.

After graduating from the San Beda College of Law as class valedictorian in 1995, Ginez took the bar that same year and placed third. He is also a certified public accountant.

Ginez is managing partner of the Quial Ginez Beltran & Yu Law Offices from October 2010 to present. He was chief of staff of Trustee Jesse Andres in the Government Service Insurance System from August 2008 to September 2010.

He served as acting president of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasay from November 2006 to June 2007. He was also professor of the San Beda College of Law from 1997 to 2005. He was vice president for legal and corporate affairs of the Pacific Ace Group of Companies from August 1999 to February 2003.

From 1995 to 1999, he was an associate at the Angara Abello Concepcion Regala & Cruz Law Offices.

“Atty. Ginez’s record speaks for itself. He is the class valedictorian in both his accounting and law degrees. He has more than 15 years of legal experience and as an impeachment manager, I was impressed with his work ethic,” Abaya said.

Abaya said the totality of Ginez’s experience convinced him to recommend Ginez as the next LTFRB chair.

Abaya’s marching orders to Ginez were: modernize the LTFRB, apprehend “colorum” buses, and streamline LTFRB processes.