Albay 2nd district Rep. Joey Salceda (left), President Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr. (PPAB, Facebook)
President Marcos has appointed former Albay Representative Joey Sarte Salceda as the new secretary of the Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO), Malacañang confirmed.
Palace Press Officer and Communications Undersecretary Claire Castro announced Salceda’s designation in a Palace briefing on Tuesday, July 21.
Salceda’s appointment marks his return to the Cabinet after almost two decades. He was appointed Presidential Chief of Staff in 2007.
During his time in the House of Representatives, Salceda chaired the Appropriations, Ways and Means, Economic Affairs, and Trade and Industry Committees, where he served for six terms.
Aside from serving as the governor of Albay, he was also chair of the Bicol Regional Development Council for nine years.
He was also the first Asian Co-Chair of the UN Green Climate Fund, a delegate to the World Trade Organization, and adviser to the Incheon Metropolitan City government.
Salceda also brings extensive market-related experience to the Cabinet, having served as research director of several multinational investment firms, including UBS, SBC Warburg, and ING Barings.
During his time in the private sector, Salceda was named Best Analyst in the Asia-Pacific region, helping establish the Philippine stock market’s regional prominence in the 1990s.
In his statement, Salceda thanked the President for the trust and confidence.
“I thank President Marcos for the trust and confidence. And I thank the Executive Secretary for his guidance. The most important resource of this administration is time. And with precious time and enduring support for the President in Congress, I humbly accept the immense challenge of passing the remaining major items of the President’s policy agenda,” Salceda said.
“I also hope to serve as a bridge of the President for the wisdom, talent, and insight of the private sector, the academe, and broader civil society," he added.
“The mandate given to me is to reform and transform the PLLO into a genuine policy office of the President. This administration has been uniquely open to the best ideas from the people. I humbly invite the country’s best minds, especially young people, to share with us your time, your talents, and your energies towards this undertaking.”