DICT Usec. Salazar has resigned from post — Uy

Jose Vicente Salazar has already resigned as undersecretary for policy and legal affairs of the Department of Information and Technology, Secretary Ivan John Uy said.

"He already tendered his resignation. He is no longer connected with the DICT," Uy said at a CA panel hearing Tuesday.

Salazar's resignation letter was read by the committee secretary upon the motion of the committee chairman, Negros Oriental Rep. Manuel Sagarbarria.

In the letter dated November 23, 2022 addressed to President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. through Uy, Salazar said he resigned due to the "delicate" health situation of his wife.

"Just recently her attending physicians have emphasized to me the urgency and importance of my constant physical presence for the sake of her healing process and of her overall state of well being," the letter read.

"I am now constrained to resign from my position irrevocably to attend to her needs. It pains me that I have to make the difficult choice between the demands of my wife's health condition on one hand and my ardent desire to remain part of the DICT team and help the department fulfill its mission on the other hand," he wrote.

Uy disclosed this when he was grilled by Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel over the appointment of Salazar in the agency even if the latter was found administratively liable for two counts of simple misconduct and one count of  grave misconduct by the Office of the President in 2017.

"I believe you should take action, Sec. Ivan. You should get rid of this person. Believe me if you do not accede to our request, papabayaan ninyo lang ho 'yan, para ho 'yang 'ika nga disease in every little way he will creep into your system and very soon he will corrupt your system. Tandaan ninyo po 'yan baka magsisi po kayo," Pimentel said.

The lawmaker mentioned that a House inquiry in 2017 focused on Salazar's alleged involvement in a "rigged selection system" in a supposed audio visual presentation project in his capacity as Energy Regulatory Commission chairman.—AOL, GMA Integrated News