There has been a changing of the guard in the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) as Carlo Dimayuga III no longer holds the fort for the said agency.
He was replaced by Romando Artes who returned as the acting chairman of the MMDA. Artes was reinstated as the MMDA acting chairman by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. This was confirmed by Undersecretary Cheloy Garafil, Officer-in-Charge of the Office of the Press Secretary.
Artes was appointed as the acting MMDA chief last March 2022. He replaced Benhur Abalos Jr. who resigned from his post to campaign for the now Philippine President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.
Artes has been serving the MMDA for almost six years. He first served as the MMDA’s Assistant General Manager for Finance and Administration in May 2017 and later on as the agency’s General Manager in November 2021.
He noted that the MMDA is “close” to his heart, having served in the agency for the past five years.
“The MMDA is close to my heart, having served as its Assistant General Manager for Finance and Administration, General Manager, and Chairman in the past five years, during the term of then-President Rodrigo Duterte,” Artes said.
When he was first appointed as the MMDA chief, Artes continued the agency’s COVID-19 vaccination drive. He has also led the MMDA’s COVID-19 Committee which managed to inoculate almost all MMDA employees and their immediate families.
Artes also intensified the MMDA’s effort in cracking down “colorum” or unregistered public utility vehicles (PUVs).
He also spearheaded the construction of the new MMDA Building in Pasig City, which comes with free charging stations for e-bikes and e-scooters.
The new acting MMDA chairman added that he is grateful to President Marcos Jr. for “his trust and on my appointment as the Acting Chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.”
With his return to the agency, Artes shared that he is determined to introduce new programs and projects to improve metro-wide services for the “benefit of all Metro Manila residents and the general public.”
Artes graduated from San Beda College with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Commerce major in Accountancy in 1993. He also obtained his Bachelor of Laws from the same university in 1998 and passed the bar examinations in the same year.
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