Update
President Duterte has appointed retired police general Anselmo Simeon Patrol Pinili to serve the unexpired term of former Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office Chair Jose Jorge Corpuz who recently resigned over health reasons.
Florante Solmerin, deputy spokesman of PCSO General Manager Alexander Balutan, said Pinili was appointed as one of the board members.
His appointment as chair, however, will be formalized on Monday, after a selection and nomination by all the members of the board, Solmerin added.
On Thursday, Balutan welcomed and expressed his full support to Pinili as the newest member of the board.
“I’m proud to say that General Pinili is my mistah (classmate) at the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) ‘Matikas’ Class 1983. The PCSO family welcomes his appointment,” Balutan said.
Duterte signed Pinili’s appointment papers last Jan. 15 to serve Corpuz’s unexpired term of office which began July 1 last year.
Pinili, a retired general, served under the Philippine National Police (PNP) and was formerly the head of the Office of the Special Envoy on Transnational Crime.
He was a recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal for serving 35 years in the government, and the PNP Special Service Medal for being the Deputy Regional Director for Administration for two years at the Police Regional Office (PRO) 11.
Pinili was also known for initiating the peace talks between local communist terrorists in the municipalities of Sto. Thomas, Davao del Norte and Pantukan, Compostela Valley during his stint as Deputy Regional Director for Administration, the second high ranking officer of PRO 11.
He also led various initiatives and roadmaps to all police stations under PRO 11 as the chair of Regional Strategy Management Unit 11.
He required police blotter on every police mobiles and facilitated the construction of nine police stations throughout the Davao region.
Balutan then thanked the President for his continued trust in his leadership and the institution.
“Expect a harmonious relationship with me and Pinili… It would just be like working with Jorge,” Balutan said.
Corpuz, a member of PMA “Sandigan” Class ’82, resigned as chair due to health problems and pressures from his family and friends, the PCSO said in a statement.
He also left the agency in the middle of a controversy started by newly appointed board member Sandra Cam who questioned the more than P6 million “extravagant” Christmas party at the Edsa Shangri La. Cam alleged that the Christmas party was worth P10 million.
Corpuz and Balutan led the PCSO to hit the P53 billion target revenue collections from Small Town Lottery and various PCSO products. Their achievement, the PCSO said, was a “record high in the history of PCSO.” /je