Long time Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) head Renato Solidum was appointed ad interim secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles said Friday.

In a message, Cruz-Angeles said Solidum is the current undersecretary of the DOST for Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation.

Solidum's appointment letter was signed by Executive Secretary Vic Rodriguez.

He remains officer-in-charge of Phivolcs, which he headed from 2003 to 2017 before he was appointed as DOST undersecretary. DMS