Former Sen. Sotto named acting DDB chief

MANILA, Philippines – President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Friday appointed former Sen. Vicente “Tito" Sotto III as member of the Board of Directors and acting chairman of the Dangerous Drugs Board (DDB). The former opposition senator succeeded Secretary Anselmo Avenido, whose term expired on the same day. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita told reporters that in appointing Sotto for the post, Arroyo took into consideration the former senator’s track record as an anti-drug advocate. She cited Sotto’s major role in the passage of the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. She also noted that Sotto was a major proponent in the implementation of various anti-drug programs while he was vice mayor of Quezon City. Sotto had expressed interest in leading the DDB, saying he wanted to see the full implementation of the anti-drugs law. He was implicated in a drug controversy in 1997, but he vehemently denied the charge.,"I was not, am not and will never be associated with any aspect of the manufacture, distribution and sale of illegal drugs and substances," he said then. Sotto’s appointment came more than a year after he lost in the senatorial race of the May 2007 midterm elections. The Election Code states that defeated candidates cannot be appointed to any government position within one year after the polls. Ermita said that with the lapsing of the appointment ban, it was “highly probable" that several losing senatorial candidates from Team Unity would secure government posts. He said that their being allied with the administration ticket could become a “big factor" for their possible appointment. - GMANews.TV