Taguig official named new Senate secretary

Senators on Monday named Taguig City administrator Jose Luis Montales as the new Senate secretary, replacing former representative Mark Llandro Mendoza following last week’s leadership change in the chamber.

During the plenary session, Acting Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva nominated Montales to the post after Senate President Alan Peter Cayetano confirmed that Mendoza had stepped down.

Montales' appointment was approved through a voice vote by senators.

Cayetano said Mendoza immediately offered his resignation but was asked to stay on temporarily to ensure a smooth transition.

“To be fair, he resigned right away, but I asked him to continue and continue in a different manner. Dear colleagues, Sec-Gen Mendoza did a great service to our colleagues,” he said.

Villanueva and Cayetano both thanked Mendoza for his service.

In February, Mendoza was elected Senate secretary, becoming one of the few public officials to have served as secretary of both chambers of Congress after previously holding the post in the House of Representatives.

Montales now joins that distinction, having served as House secretary general from July 2019 to October 2020 during Cayetano’s term as House speaker.

Before his appointment as Senate secretary, Montales was serving as Taguig City administrator, a senior executive post in the city government under Mayor Lani Cayetano, wife of the Senate president.—MCG, GMA News