Quezon City (18 October) -- President Arroyo reassigned Arthur Yap to the agriculture portfolio in a Cabinet revamp that saw at least 10 officials being reappointed to different posts.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said Anneli Lontoc, former chief of the Land Transportation Office, and Marie Elena Bautista, former head of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, were appointed undersecretaries of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).

Two officials, Elmer Soneja and Cesar Sarmiento, were appointed as DOTC assistant secretaries.

Former DOTC spokesman Thompson Lantion is the new LTFRB chief.

Lawyer Gerardo Benjamin Nograles was named National Labor Relations Commission chairman, replacing Benedicto Ernesto Bitonio who was named senior vice-president of the Development Bank of the Philippines.

Yap, chief of the Presidential Management Staff, earlier confirmed that he replaced Domingo Panganiban as agriculture secretary.

Panganiban was appointed as chief of National Anti-Poverty Commission.

Yap’s position was turned over to Cerge Remonde who is the concurrent chief of the Government Mass Media Group.

Yap resigned from the agriculture department last year after being charged with tax evasion by the Bureau of Internal Revenue. The charges were later dropped due to insufficient evidence.