PHILIPPINE Rep. Christopher de Venecia (4th District, Pangasinan) has filed a resolution congratulating Camille Calimlim Touton for her appointment as Deputy Commissioner of the United States Department of Interior’s Bureau of Reclamation.
Touton’s appointment is historic as she became the first Filipino-American to serve in the agency’s leadership role.
According to the resolution, Touton’s parents, Carl and Marlene Bangsal Calimlim, are from Barangay Tebeng in Dagupan City, Pangasinan.
“I congratulate President Joe Biden and Interior Secretary-designate Deb Haaland on their excellent choice, their appointment of Camille Touton as the Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation,” announced Rep. Grace Napolitano in a statement.
The Bureau of Reclamation is a water management agency under the United States Department of the Interior, which oversees dams, canals, and hydroelectric plants across the Western United States. It is the largest wholesaler of water in the United States and the second-largest producer of hydroelectric power in the Western United States.
According to the resolution, Touton’s appointment “brings honor and pride not only to the people of Dagupan City but also the entire Philippines.”
The City of Dagupan also hailed the appointment and called Touton “Dagupan’s Pride.”
Her grandmother served as a Barangay Captain of Tebeng, one of the city’s barangays.
The city’s Public Information Page posted the appointment on their Facebook page and it has been shared almost 400 times as of press time, generating hundreds of congratulatory messages and words of encouragement.
Is it only Pangasinan celebrating her appointment – based on your headline? She is first of all a Filipina and I’m sure every Filipino is proud and celebrates her appointment. I do, and I am not from Pangasinan. Congratulations, Camille Calimlim Touton!