PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has appointed lawyer Wilma T. Eisma administrator and chair of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), thereby ending a dispute between her and Martin B. Diño, a leading ally of Mr. Duterte,over leadership of this agency.
Parallel to Ms. Eisma’s appointment, Mr. Duterte on Monday, Sept. 25, issued Executive Order (EO) No. 42 repealing EO No. 340, which separated the positions of administrator and chairperson.
The repealed order, issued by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2004, also designated the chairperson as head of the agency, but vested in the administrator the authority to “directly administer and supervise the operations and day-to-day business activities of the SBMA.”
Mr. Diño, whom Mr. Duterte appointed chairperson in 2016, had been at odds over leadership of the SBMA with Ms. Eisma, the administrator appointed by Mr. Duterte this year.
Ms. Eisma’s appointment and her oathttaking in Malacañang on Tuesday, Sept. 26, effectively removes from the SBMA Mr. Diño, who also that Tuesday was attending the 120th anniversary of the Department of Justice led by Mr. Duterte.
Mr. Diño said Tuesday he “respected” the President’s decision despite his having filed a case against Ms. Eisma before the Ombudsman that morning.
Mr. Diño admitted hearing there is a new post in store for him, but added he has no idea yet what that was.
Ms. Eisma is not new to the SBMA. According to a report early this year by the Philippine Star, she started her career in the agency’s legal department during the time of SBMA’s formation in the early 1990s, when Richard J. Gordon, now senator, was the agency’s first chairman. She was also executive assistant to the chairman. — with Rosemarie A. Zamora and a report by interaksyon.com
