PRESIDENT FERDINAND Marcos, Jr. has appointed an Artlets professor and a Faculty of Philosophy alumnus to the board of the technical education agency and media security body, respectively.
Department of Philosophy Assoc. Prof. Rene Luis Tadle will represent the labor sector at the Technical, Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Board for the next three years, according to an appointment letter signed by the President last Oct. 28.
Veteran journalist and former Philippine Information Agency (PIA) director Jose Torres, Jr. was appointed executive director of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS), a body tasked to protect journalists from threats and violence, Marcos announced on Thursday, Nov. 14.
“I am honored to be reappointed as a member of the TESDA Board, and I extend my deepest gratitude to my comrades in the labor movement for their support and endorsement,” Tadle told The Flame.
“Together, we will continue advocating for meaningful advancements in technical education and workforce development,” he added.
The TESDA Board is mandated to formulate policies and programs that will enhance the country’s technical education system.
Tadle has served as a member of the TESDA Board in multiple terms and has handled different committees, including the one in charge of finance, standards and institutional capacity Building.
An expert in the education sector, Tadle is the president and lead convenor of the Arts and Letters Faculty Association and Council of Teachers and Staff of Colleges and Universities. He was also the president of the faculty club of the UST College of Nursing.
In 2006, Tadle led a legal action against compromised licensure exams, which ultimately resulted in the issuance of Executive Order No. 565, a directive that places the Professional Regulation Commission under the Department of Labor and Employment to ensure stronger oversight and integrity in the nursing profession.
He is also a resource person of the UST Faculty Union for labor issues and had advocated for better work conditions for private school teachers during congressional hearings.
Meanwhile, Torres replaced Paul Gutierrez, whose term as PTFoMS executive director expired in September.
The task force was created through Administrative Order no. 1 issued by former president Rodrigo Duterte in 2016.
“Under the helm of the newly appointed head of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security or PTFOMS, Executive Director Jose Torres, we strengthen our resolve in safeguarding the lives of media personnel and practitioners,” Marcos said during a management conference of a group of broadcasters on Thursday.
Torres studied Theology at the Ateneo de Manila University. He also earned a diploma for multimedia journalism studies at the Konrad Adenauer Asian Center for Journalism in 2012.
In 2001, he wrote the book, “Into the Mountain: Hostaged by the Abu Sayyaf,” which detailed the experiences of the Dos Palmas hostages under the bandit group.
The Philosophy alumnus also served as editor-in-chief of GMA News Online and is editor-at-large of Catholic Asian news website LiCAS.news and editorial consultant of Radio Veritas Asia.
In May, Torres was appointed chief of the PIA, the government’s public information arm. F
