By Genalyn Kabiling
Presidential Management Staff (PMS) Undersecretary for Disaster Resiliency Karen Jimeno has resigned after serving only two months in office to study abroad.
Atty Karen Jimeno
(Facebook / MANILA BULLETIN)
Jimeno, one of the officials who helped draft a proposed law creating a Department of Disaster Resilience, has decided to pursue a master’s degree at the University of California, Berkley.
"I resigned in July & taking a Masters now in UC Berkeley,” Jimeno, a lawyer, tweeted.
Jimeno, appointed to the PMS post last May 15, said she has completed her task of working with other government agencies in drafting the disaster resiliency bill. She admitted though she has not yet received her salary as a PMS official up to now.
She also expressed hope that Congress would support the bill creating a full-time and focused department to deliver enhanced disaster resilience and quick disaster response.
The disaster resilience bill is one of the priority bills endorsed by President Duterte in his State of the Nation Address (SONA) last month.
"I thankful for the opportunity to help draft a #Disaster Resilience #Law as Undersecretary for Disaster Resiliency of Presidential Mgt Staff. Now that Admin version of the Bill is endorsed, I pray Congress will pass a law that's truly responsive to #Philippines disasters," she said.
Before joining the PMS, Jimeno served as Undersecretary for Legal Affairs and Priority Projects of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH). She was appointed to the DPWH post in 2016.
Jimeno, a law graduate from the University of the Philippines, also worked in the office of Senator Panfilo Lacson when he served as Presidential Assistant for Rehabilitation and Recovery during the Aquino administration. She was also a part of the defense tema during the impeachment trial of then Chief Justice Renato Corona.