NTC exec quits, making him 8th since 2004 to leave for 'health reasons'

(Update) MANILA, Philippines - A high ranking official of the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) quit his post after eight years of public service, citing health reasons. Jorge V. Sarmiento, until recently the agency’s deputy commissioner, said he was “going back to private life," making him the eighth official since 2004 to quit for health reasons. “I have contributed something to NTC and I want to have a break," Sarmiento said, adding that he might pursue further studies. Sarmiento also said that he was “tired." He submitted his irrevocable resignation to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo last week. He will leave the agency on April 15. Besides representing the Philippines in global fora, Sarmiento was also instrumental in assisting the NTC through structural regulatory reforms in telecommunications, broadcast, and cable sectors. Sarmiento also co-authored the book entitled “Regulation of the Telecommunications/ICT Sector: The Philippine Experience 1900-2007," with former NTC Commissioner Kathleen Heceta. When he was a newly-minted lawyer, Sarmiento worked for Supreme Court Justice Abraham F. Sarmiento. He has also served in the judicial, legislative, and executive branches of the government, having worked in the Supreme Court, the Senate, and the Office of the President. Besides being a consultant to the 1987 Constitutional Convention, he also was an executive director of the National Livelihood Support Fund (NLSF) under the Office of the President. Sarmiento also served as a deputy commissioner of the Bureau of Immigration and as assistant secretary for the postal services office in 1989 and 1991, respectively. In 1999, he was appointed as Commissioner of the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG). Next: Other officials who quit for health reasons Other officials who quit for health reasons Before Sarmiento, Cyril del Callar left his post as president of the National Power Corp. in September 2008. Like Sarmiento, Callar cited health reasons as his basis for leaving government service. Two months earlier, the same explanation was cited by Corazon dela Paz-Bernardo when she quit as president of the Social Security System. In August 2007, Gabriel Claudio also filed his resignation as the presidential adviser on political affairs. A month earlier, he filed a month-long medical leave after recuperating from surgery for congenital scoliosis and compressed nerves. However, he returned to the post after one year later. Rene Sarmiento, Jorge's brother, also quit as commissioner of the Commission on Elections in 2007, citing the same reasons. Earlier, he was the head of the Task Force Maguindanao which investigated election irregularities in the province. Similarly, Bro. Rolando Dizon resigned as chair of the Commission on Higher Education in 2004 and as a member of the Consultative Commission on charter change in 2005. In 2005, Simeon Marcelo also cited health reasons when he quit as Ombudsman. He had been suffering from ulcers and hypertension as work pressures reportedly took a toll on his health. In 2004, Edgardo M. del Fonso said he was leaving as president of the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management, the state-run agency tasked to sell the government’s power assets. He cited health reasons as well. - GMA News Research with GMANews.TV