MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has appointed retired Vice Adm. Alexander Lopez as the spokesperson of the National Maritime Council (NMC), Malacañang announced Friday.
“Lopez, a former military officer, will speak on behalf of the NMC on issues surrounding the West Philippine Sea (WPS),” Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil said in a statement.
Garafil said Lopez was appointed as NMC spokesperson on Aug. 6.
The NMC was created by Marcos through the issuance of Executive Order (EO) 57 on March 25, in an effort to strengthen the Philippines’ maritime security and increase maritime domain awareness among Filipinos amid China’s aggressive tactics and threats in the WPS.
The NMC, chaired by Executive Secretary Bersamin Lucas, is tasked to formulate policies and strategies to ensure a unified, coordinated and effective governance framework for the country’s maritime security and domain awareness.
Prior to his new appointment, Lopez served as Energy undersecretary from 2018 to 2022; consultant of the same agency from 2017 to 2018; and security consultant of ABS-CBN Corp. from 2016 to 2018.
Lopez is a member of the Philippine Military Academy’s (PMA) “Sandigan” class of 1982.
He served as commander of the Western Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) from 2014 to 2016 and deputy chief of staff for Education and Training (J8) of the AFP.
Lopez was also a commander of Fleet-Marine Ready Force, and Joint Task Force Malampaya; chief of Naval Staff for Operations, N3; and Philippine Defense and AFP Attaché in Singapore.
He also became a deputy chief of Naval Staff for Intelligence, N2; chief of Foreign Training Division of the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Education and Training; and chief of Manpower and Organization Division of the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations.
He also served as chief of Fleet Staff for Operations, F3; commanding officer of the Philippine Navy Commissioned Vessels; executive officer of the Philippine Navy Vessels; and commander of the Naval Intelligence and Security Units. (PNA)
