CLARK FREEPORT—After sacking Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF) officials last year, President Duterte has appointed a new board of trustees for the foundation that subsequently elected its executive director.
Capampangan Michelle Aguilar-Ong took her oath before Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo Puyat on Monday as a new trustee of the NPF, which manages and operates the Nayong Pilipino Clark Cultural Theme Park (NPCTP) here, among other functions.
After taking her oath, Ong was immediately elected executive director by the NPF board of trustees.
On Wednesday, Ong received a warm welcome from NPF employees, as well as indigenous people—Aytas and Ifugaos—at the NPCTP on her first day in office.
A statement from NPF said, “Ong was immediately in fifth gear when she entered the premises of Nayong Pilipino Clark, inspecting the tourist attractions like the katutubo village and amphitheater.”
After inspecting different sections of the NPCTP, Ong proceeded to her office at the Administration Building, where she was interviewed by the media.
Ong said the goal of her administration is to revive Nayong Pilipino.
“We all know that Nayong Pilipino has been a very silent cultural agency for like a decade, so kailangan talagang ibalik siya sa forefront ng culture tourism at culture education. I think iyon ang pinaka-malaking challenge sa amin ngayon: Kung paano ibalik ang Nayong Pilipino sa pagkakaalam ng lahat ng tao sa Nayong Pilipino Pasay,” Ong said.
She also said one of her priorities is to identify the problems of Nayong Pilipino and look for long-term solutions.
When Ong was asked about the Nayong Pilipino-Landing Resorts Philippines Development Corp. controversy, she maintained that NPF will abide by the opinion of the Department of Justice (DOJ).
“Nagbigay na ng opinion ang DOJ and Office of the Government Corporate Counsel [OGCC], which is the legal counsel of government-owned and -controlled corporations because Nayong Pilipino is a government-owned and -controlled c orporation,” she said.
“I think we will set a meeting with them and see kung nasaan naba ang pag-uusap ng Landing and OGCC or Nayong Pilipino. Sa ngayon talaga ngayon ko palang hihimayin ang mga dokumento,” she added.
Ong’s appointment papers were signed by Duterte on January 15 and released by Malacañang three days later.