PRA Governing Board welcomes new members
From left to right: Dir. Nolasco K Bathan, General Manager and CEO Engr. Cesar S. Siador, Jr., Dir. Fernando P. Siringan (newly appointed director), Dir. Mario K. Espinosa (newly appointed director), Dir. Eligio T. Ildefonso (newly appointed director), Dir. Anthony Peter D. Crisologo, and PRA Chairman Atty. Alexander T. Lopez at the PRA Oath Taking and Turnover Ceremony.
On 29 July 2024, the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) held a turnover ceremony at Legaspi Towers 200 in Makati City to welcome three new Acting Members of its Governing Board, appointed by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
Turnover of Symbolic Documents: Dr. Fernando P. Siringan receives his official duties as the newly appointed PRA Director from former General Manager and CEO, Atty. Janilo E. Rubiato, during the Oath Taking and Turnover Ceremony.
First is Dr. Fernando Pascual Siringan, a distinguished coastal and marine geologist with a Ph.D. from Rice University in Houston, Texas, and B.S. and M.S. degrees from University of the Philippines Diliman (UP Diliman), who has significantly advanced marine and coastal geology in the Philippines. As a research professor and former director at UP Marine Science Institute, his work on coastal erosion, harmful algal blooms, and paleo-climate reconstructions among others has addressed key environmental issues, including flood and riverbank erosion in the Cagayan and Pared Rivers.
Turnover of Symbolic Documents: Mr. Eligio T. Ildefonso receives his official duties as the newly appointed PRA Director from PRA outgoing Director Dioscoro E. Esteban Jr., during the Oath Taking and Turnover Ceremony.
Next on the list is Engr. Eligio Torbela Ildefonso, former Executive Director of the National Solid Waste Management Commission, who has held various key positions within the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), including OIC-Executive Director and Chief of the Solid Waste Management Division. His notable roles include Deputy Executive Director, Executive Director of Task Force Air Quality, and Director for Technical Services. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the Technological Institute of the Philippines and multiple master’s degrees, including Environmental Management and Development from Australian National University.
Turnover of Symbolic Documents: Mr. Mario K. Espinosa receives his official duties as the newly appointed PRA Director from Philippine Reclamation Authority Chairman Atty. Alexander T. Lopez, during the Oath Taking and Turnover Ceremony..
Completing the roster of directors is Mr. Mario Katigbak Espinosa. He is an A.B. Philosophy graduate from UP Diliman. He has extensive experience in both government and private sectors. Currently, he is the Director of Masbate Consolidated Arrastre, Inc. and MCI Cable, Inc. He was previously Vice Chairman, President, and CEO of Philippine National Construction Corp. (PNCC) and served as Undersecretary of the Presidential Assistant for Bicol Affairs. Espinosa has also held directorships at Granex Oils Mills, Macopramarco, Inc., and the Toll Regulatory Board (TRB). Politically, he served as Vice Governor and Provincial Administrator of Masbate.
The new complete Governing Board aims to steer PRA towards environmentally sustainable and economically driven reclamation projects as “Poverty Reduction Advocates” (PRA) in the context of Bagong Pilipinas.