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Original article: No se presentó más a trabajar: Gobierno retiró nombramiento de Seremi de Energía de La Araucanía Patrick Dungan

Patrick Dungan Removed as Energy Secretary in La Araucanía After Missing Work Without Explanation

Through a press release, the Regional Presidential Delegation of La Araucanía announced the withdrawal of Patrick Dungan’s appointment as the Secretary of Energy in the region, due to his failure to report to work all week without providing any explanation.

«Since Monday, April 13th, Secretary Patrick Dungan has been absent from his office without submitting any official or formal justifications to the Ministry of Energy or the Regional Presidential Delegation of La Araucanía, a situation we regret,» states the official communication.

The Delegation added that they have attempted to contact Dungan, «but he has not answered the phone.»

«As a result, the Ministry of Energy decided to retract the processing of his appointment decree from the General Comptroller’s Office. A new shortlist will be proposed to the President of the Republic for the prompt appointment of a replacement in this position,» the statement continues.

Finally, it was reported that service tasks «will continue to be carried out normally, as the Deputy Secretary of Economy, Carlos Zirotti, will assume the interim position.»

What Happened?

Three years ago, Patrick Dungan Alvear took over as the manager of the Chamber of Commerce in Temuco, where it is noted on their website that he has a B.B.A. in Business Administration, International Business from Boise State University, Idaho, U.S., and is also an engineer in Foreign Trade.

In addition, he is a university professor in the fields of Marketing, Economics, and International Business, and he previously headed the Regional Unit of International Affairs for the Regional Government of La Araucanía, as well as serving as the regional treasury minister from 2018 to 2022.

Following the new government’s administration, Dungan was appointed as Secretary of Energy by President José Antonio Kast.

In this context, according to the social media accounts of the Ministry of Energy, his last public appearance was on Friday, April 10th, in Angol, where he presented an electric supply project benefiting 16 families in the Lomas de Toro area.

As for the reasons behind his absence, there is still no clarity, with the only lead being information reported by The Clinic, regarding a call made this week to an emergency contact of Dungan -recorded by him-, which, when asked about the now former secretary, responded, «yes, he is here.»

However, «at the time of the apparent transfer of the phone from the person who answered the call to Dungan, the call was dropped,» the publication noted.

We will continue to provide updates.

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