President Rodrigo Duterte has appointed Claire Dennis Mapa as the new National Statistician and Civil Registrar General of the Philippine Statistics Authority.

Malacanang released on Tuesday a copy of Mapa's appointment paper dated May 27.

He was one of the newly appointed government officials who took the oath of office on May 27 in Malacanang.

Mapa, who has a rank of undersecretary, will serve for a term of five years, replacing Lisa Grace Bersales, whose five-year term ended on April 21.

Prior to his appointment, Mapa was the dean of the University of the Philippines-School of Statistics.

PSA is an attached agency of the National Economic and Development Authority.

Duterte also reappointed broadcaster and columnist Ramon Tulfo Jr. as his special envoy for public diplomacy to China.

Tulfo's appointment paper was signed on May 27 and he will serve for a term of six months.

He was first appointed as Duterte's special envoy in October last year. Celerina Monte/DMS