Duterte names Tesda chief

DAVAO CITY—President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday named lawyer Guiling Mamondiong head of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority or Tesda.

Mamondiong, a Moro, was undersecretary of the Department of Transportation and Communications during the Arroyo administration.

During the campaign, he was active in the Mayor Rodrigo Duterte National Executive Committee, one of the groups that solidified the support for the then presidential contender.

After he announced Mamondiong’s name, Duterte said that there were a few Moro in his Cabinet because he was cooking something where the Moros could have greater participation in nation building.

“If I succeed, there will be a reconfiguration of territory … and most of them (Moro leaders) will occupy regional or state positions,” he said.

Duterte has been pushing for federalism as the answer to the Bangsamoro quest for self-determination and to address the country’s woes.