Labor Usec named Presidential Legislative Assistant

MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has named Labor Undersecretary Jacinto “Jing” Paras, as presidential assistant under the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO).

Duterte signed Paras’ appointment on Jan. 8, a list of presidential appointees released by Malacañang showed Monday.

It still wasn’t clear if Paras, himself a former congressman of Negros Oriental, will hold office at the House of Representatives, or in the Senate.

Paras figured in a “phone snatching” incident after he allegedly took the cellphone of then-Akbayan Party-list Representative Tom Villarin during a House labor committee hearing at the House of Representatives last March 2018.

Based on a closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage, Villarin said that while they were engaged in a small talk, Paras “placed his cell phone on top of his phone, an iPhone X valued at around P74,000, which was then lying on top of his table.”

After filing theft complaints, Villarin then asked the HoR to censure and ban Paras from entering House premises.

The next day, Paras said he may file charges against Villarin for “destroying my good name.”

Paras was also reported to have had a rift with Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, but the two have brushed aside the allegations.