He acknowledged, however, that President Arroyo is also evaluating other possible candidates for the position. "Hopefully, there will be an announcement from the Office of the President within next week," he said.

Pena previously served as executive director of the Information Technology and Electronic Commerce Council (ITECC), which was established during the term of former President Joseph Estrada. In 2004, President Arroyo signed Executive Order 269 creating CICT as a transitory body in the wake of a proposal to create a separate Department of ICT or DICT.