Newly appointed Social Security System (SSS) president and chief executive officer (CEO) Rolando Macasaet has reportedly patched things up with his childhood friend, Michael Regino, whom he replaced at the helm of the state-run pension fund following a bitter spat.
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The two men were all smiles at a January 10 ceremony where Regino formally turned over the SSS’ leadership to Macasaet, his high school classmate from Ateneo De Zamboanga University.
Both hailing from Zamboanga City, the two men graduated from ADZU in 1977.
Macasaet and Regino reportedly had a falling out over the former’s appointment to head the SSS after serving as president and general manager of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) during the Duterte administration.
A Babbler said Regino was allegedly blindsided by Macasaet’s appointment, as he only learned about it when an announcement was made by Malacañang.
The absence of a heads up and Macasaet’s transfer from GSIS reportedly drove a wedge between the two friends.
Macasaet took his oath before Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin in Malacañang on January 5.
Regino, meanwhile, led the SSS for nine months after his appointment by former President Rodrigo Duterte in March 2022.
The two men, however, appeared to have buried the hatchet at the January 10 event, with Regino supposedly telling Macasaet in his farewell speech how he “finally slept peacefully after four days.”
For observers and those who know the two men well, Regino’s remark meant that he already made peace with his childhood friend.