By Arjay L. Balinbin, Reporter
MALACAÑANG announced on Wednesday, May 16, the appointment of lawyer Karen Olivia V. Jimeno as Undersecretary for Disaster Resiliency under the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) headed by Special Assistant to the President (SAP) Christopher “Bong” T. Go.
Mr. Duterte appointed Ms. Jimeno in 2016 Undersecretary for Legal Affairs and Priority Projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). She reportedly left her position last month, but PMS and her staff at the DPWH could not give details about her resignation when sought for comment.
Ms. Jimeno, prior to her appointment to the DPWH, served as spokesperson for the late Chief Justice Renato Renato C. Corona during his 2012 impeachment trial.
According to the DPWH Web site, Ms. Jimeno also served “as Head for External Affairs & Communications for the Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery, alongside Senator Panfilo Lacson, from 2014-2015 under the Office of then President Benigno Aquino III. In 2017, she was appointed as Legal Counsel for the Senate Ethics Committee for the 17th Congress.”
“Her media experience includes being a program host and news anchor for CNN Philippines for (five) years, and a columnist for the Philippine Star newspaper from 2012 up to the present,” the department also said.
Mr. Duterte signed Ms. Jimeno’s appointment on Tuesday, May 15.
The President also signed the appointments of Bernadette Fatima R. Puyat as interim Secretary of the Department of Tourism (DoT), Abdullah D. Mama-o as Special Envoy of the President to the State of Kuwait, and Benjamin E. Palmero as Member of the Board of Directors, Philippine National Oil Company (PNOC) Renewables Corporation.

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