CEBU CITY -- Add former military chief Roy Cimatu to the list of high-profile personalities who are now part of the Cebu City Hall workforce.
The former Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has been appointed by Mayor Michael Rama as ‘DENR-like’ secretary.
Cimatu’s appointment was announced through the city’s official Facebook page on Tuesday, Aug. 30.
Cimatu's task is to help and coordinate with the city on the restoration of waterways, address flooding, and find possible potable water sources to address scarcity, according to the announcement.
Cimatu’s appointment was announced in a meeting with City Hall’s department heads together with DENR-Region 7 representatives at the conference room of the mayor’s office.
Cimatu served as Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff under the Arroyo administration.
A member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1970, Cimatu also served as DENR Secretary during the Duterte administration.
It can be recalled that at the time when COVID-19 cases surged in Cebu, Cimatu was ordered by then President Duterte to oversee the pandemic response in Metro Cebu.
Cimatu is the second prominent figure to join the Cebu City government.
Rama has previously appointed former Philippine National Police (PNP) Chief Debold Sinas as consultant for peace and order.
Sinas is a familiar figure in Cebu as he served as the chief of the Cebu City-based Police Regional Office-Central Visayas.