Aquino forms Palace transition team

PDI exclusive interview with President Benigno Aquino lll held in Malacanang.
INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/ JOAN BONDOC

President Aquino signed on Thursday the administrative order (AO) creating a Presidential Transition Committee (PTC) that would ensure a “smooth transition” from the outgoing administration to the new administration.

AO 49, which takes effect immediately, establishes the PTC to “ensure a peaceful, orderly and effective transition” of power to the incoming administration on 30 June 2016.”

Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa will chair the PTC.

The committee will have as its members National Economic and Development Authority Director General Emmanuel Esguerra, Budget Secretary Florencio Abad, Foreign Secretary Jose Rene Almendras, Public Works and Highways Secretary Rogelio Singson, and Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr.

The Presidential Management Staff (PMS) will provide secretariat support to the PTC.

Overall coordination

“The PTC shall serve as the overall and central coordination committee of all executive departments, agencies, bureaus, government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs), and other instrumentalities (government agencies) as regards the various aspects of the transition to the new administration. It shall oversee the preparation and implementation of the government agencies’ transition to the new administration, in order to ensure the continuity and maintain the efficiency of government services,” the President said in his administrative order.

The administrative order also created the Agency Transition Committees (ATCs) under each government agency, to be chaired by the respective secretaries or agency heads.

The camp of presumptive President Rodrigo Duterte had also announced that it has created its own transition team.

Coloma said in a press conference that the PTC would be meeting today.

A date has yet to be set for a meeting between the transition committee of the outgoing administration and Duterte’s transition team, Coloma said.