From Caribbean Business

SAN JUAN – The secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Economic Development and Commerce (DDEC by its Spanish acronym), Manuel Laboy Rivera, said Friday that he accepted engineer Héctor Rodríguez Echevarría’s resignation as assistant secretary of the Permits & Endorsements Management Office (OGPe by its Spanish acronym).

For his part, Rodríguez Echevarría said the reason for his departure is of a personal nature and that his priority at this time is not to allow unfounded attacks on his family.

“Always following the regulations of the Office of Government Ethics (OEG), I created a blind Trust to avoid even the appearance of any conflict between my work in the service of Puerto Rico and the companies I lifted up with sacrifice. I thank the Governor for the trust placed in me and his commitment to improving the conditions of our people,” Rodríguez Echevarría said in a statement.

“The governor, Ricardo Rosselló Nevares, and this servant are extremely grateful to engineer Rodríguez Echevarría. In a short time, he made major changes to implement the Permits Reform approved last year. Although we regret his resignation, we wish him the greatest success in his future endeavors,” the Economic Development secretary said in a statement.

Laboy Rivera, who is also executive director of the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Co., stressed that the official’s departure “will not affect the work aimed at approving the Construction Code and the Joint Regulation, the consolidation of dozens of certifications and licenses under a single permit, the subsequent phases of the Single Business Portal, among other key tasks of the permit reform needed to improve the climate of doing business on the island.”