President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has nominated outgoing Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Silvestre Bello III to serve as Chairman and Resident Representative-designate of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO).
Read more here: https://mb.com.ph/2022/06/23/bello-nograles-nominated-for-govt-posts-by-marcos/
Bello, a 78-year-old lawyer, was appointed as Labor and Employment Secretary in 2016 by President Rodrigo Duterte.
He has been in politics since 1986; he served as Governor of Isabela Province from April 1986 until February 1988.
He has also tenured in the Cabinet of the Philippines. He was appointed Justice Secretary from July 1991 until February 1992 under President Cory Aquino; and then again as acting Justice Secretary under President Fidel Ramos from February 1998 until June 1998.
From 2004 until 2010, he was appointed Cabinet Secretary of the Philippines under President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Bello has had two stints as Solicitor General of the Philippines, both under the Ramos administration. First from September 1996 until February 1998; and then from June 9, 1998, up until June 30, 1998.
Bello also has three years in Congress under his belt. He was elected as the nominee of 1 Banat & AHAPO Party-list coalition from 2013 to 2016 in the 16th Congress.
In 1966, he earned a Bachelor of the Arts degree in Political Science from Manuel Quezon University. In 1970, he completed his Bachelor of Law degree from Ateneo Law School.
As MECO Chairman and representative, Bello will be replacing incumbent Angelito Banayo. The MECO acts as a de facto embassy and representative office of the Philippines in Taiwan.
As per the MECO website, the agency works “to sustain and enhance mutually beneficial relationships between the economies and societies of the Philippines and Taiwan, strengthened through active cooperation and increased exchanges.”