PRESIDENT RODRIGO R. Duterte appointed Social Security System (SSS) Officer-in-Charge Aurora C. Ignacio to take the helm of the state pension fund, replacing resigned Emmanuel F. Dooc.

In an appointment paper dated March 28, Mr. Duterte named Ms. Ignacio as the new president and chief executive officer of the SSS after being the officer-in-charge of the agency. The document was released to the media on Monday.

Prior to her officer-in-charge stint, Ms. Ignacio served as the chairperson of Social Security Commission, the policy-making body of the SSS, and was the first woman who held the position.

She was also an assistant secretary for special projects in the Office of the President. In July 2017, she was appointed as the “focal person” for queries on the Duterte administration’s crackdown on illegal drugs.

“As the Focal Person, she helped the Inter-Agency Committee on Anti-Illegal Drugs (ICAD) in harmonizing all anti-illegal drug government programs,” Ms. Ignacio’s resume posted on SSS’s website read.

Ms. Ignacio obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Commerce, Banking and Finance from the Centro Escolar University.

She was appointed a day before the implementation of the 45-day ban on appointments ahead of the May 13 midterm polls.

Mr. Dooc filed his “voluntary and irrevocable” resignation from the SSS’ top post early last month following the effectivity of the pension fund’s amended charter. Republic Act No. 11199 or the Social Security Act of 2018 was signed by Mr. Duterte in February, repealing its charter which was signed into law in 1997.

The SSS has yet to provide a statement regarding Ms. Ignacio’s appointment. — KANV

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