President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s reappointment of lawyer Jay Daniel Santiago as general manager of the Philippine Ports Authority is a “move in the right direction”, cause-oriented group Action for Consumerism and Transparency in Nation Building said Thursday.
ACTION lauded the president’s preference for quality and efficiency in governance over political partisanship and patronage in choosing the members of his management team.
“No argument about it. We do need the brightest minds around if we are to propel the national economy forward. And Jay Santiago has proved his savvy as a professional public servant and bureaucratic manager in various capacities,” ACTION spokesperson Jake Silo said.
“The men and women of the PPA cannot be happier to have their former boss back,” the consumer and anti-graft watchdog said.
Marcos on Tuesday designated Santiago as the new PPA general manager.
ACTION said Santiago “is a good bet in terms of project completion, revenue generation, modernization and digitalization.”
Under Santiago’s watch from July 2016 to June 2022, the PPA completed a number of infrastructure projects and achieve record revenue collections.
A lawyer by profession, Santiago was also director of the Maritime Industry Authority and vice president of the International Association of Ports and Harbors for Asia, South East and the Oceania. He represented some 180 ports and 140 port-related businesses in 90 countries.
“For all intents and purposes, Santiago could be the right skipper to put back the PPA ship on an even keel during these trying economic times of inflation,” Silo said.