President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has nominated Nelson Java Celis as Commissioner of the Commission on Elections (Comelec), the Palace said.
Comelec Acting Spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco confirmed that Celis has been nominated by Malacanang as Comelec Commissioner to serve the unexpired term of former Commissioner Aimee Neri until February 2029.
Celis is an electronics and communications graduate of Don Bosco Technical College, he had been chief information office of Megalink and Philippine Veterans’ Bank, general manager of a technology company, and is the managing director of his own cybersecurity firm.
Celis, a professional lecturer of the DLSU’s Graduate School of Business and Graduate School of Computer Studies, is an electronics and communications engineer with 41 years of experience in information technology (IT) and management.
Marcos Jr. also administered the oath of office of Domingo Panganiban as Undersecretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA).
Panganiban formally took his oath of office as shown in photos shared in the President’s official Facebook page on Monday.
Panganiban was former Secretary of the DA in 2001 under President Joseph Estrada and in 2005 under President Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo.
Arroyo tapped Panganiban to lead the Philippine National Anti-Poverty Commission with cabinet rank in November 2006.
Panganiban began his career in public service as a Plant Pest Control Worker in the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) assigned in Zamboanga City.
He was later appointed DA Regional Director for Region 3 (Central Luzon).
Panganiban also became Director of the Bureau of Plant Industry and consequently Executive Director of the National Food and Agriculture Council (NFAC).
He served as Deputy Minister of the Philippine Ministry of Food and Agriculture in 1984. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Agriculture degree at the University of the Philippines at Los Baños in 1961.