-
Romando Artes has been appointed chairman of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority while Frisco San Juan Jr. was appointed general manager
-
San Juan’s appointment is concurrent with his role as MMDA deputy chairman
President Rodrigo Duterte appointed Romando Artes and Frisco San Juan, Jr. as chairman and general manager, respectively, of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA).
Juan’s appointment is concurrent with his being the agency’s deputy chairman.
Artes was appointed on March 1 to fill the void left by Benjamin Abalos, Jr., who quit the post to become the national campaign manager of presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the 2022 elections.
Artes said he will “continue to work for the completion of the projects and programs needed and pursuant to our mandates – traffic, solid waste and flood management, urban renewal, public safety among others and the equally important COVID-19 vaccination as we transition to the new normal.”
A certified public accountant, Artes first served as the MMDA’s assistant general manager for finance and administration in May 2017, and later on as the agency’s general manager in November 2021, replacing Jose Arturo Garcia, who resigned to run as congressman in the 2022 elections.
Prior to his stint at the MMDA, Artes served both as an accountant and lawyer in the City of Biñan and consultant in the City of Sta. Rosa, both in Laguna.
He also served as political and legislative officer in the Senate and consultant in the House of Representatives.
Artes graduated from San Beda College with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Commerce major in accountancy, in 1993. He obtained his Bachelor of Laws from the same university in 1998 and passed the bar examinations that year.
After graduating in 1993, Artes worked with accounting firm Sycip, Gorres, Velayo& Co. until 1994. After passing the bar in 1998, he started his career as a lawyer with the Cayetano Sebastian Dado & Cruz Law Office until 2000.
He served next as a partner in the So Artes & Partners Law Offices from 2017 to the present but has been on leave of absence since his MMDA stint.
San Juan, meanwhile, entered MMDA as deputy chairman in 2016.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Mapua Institute of Science and Technology and a master’s degree in Business Administration from the Ateneo Graduate School of Business.
San Juan began his corporate career with Ayala Corp. as an assistant engineer in 1974, the year after getting his civil engineer license.
San Juan then held several posts in different realty development companies, and served as vice governor of Rizal from 2009 until his last term in office in 2016.
