Rex Gatchalian appointed as new DSWD chief

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, January 31) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has tapped Valenzuela City Rep. Rex Gatchalian as the new secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

MMalacañang confirmed the appointment on Tuesday — the same day Gatchalian took his oath before the chief executive.

Before the oath-taking, Gatchalian said he received a call Tuesday morning directing him to visit Marcos to talk about the post.

"We had a long talk at napag-usapan namin 'yong vision naming dalawa na nagkakatugma naman [and we discussed our vision which actually matched]," he told CNN Philippines' News Night on Wednesday.

Gatchalian added that the president told him it was important to "immediately fill the position," and wanted him to "immediately assume and move" as DSWD secretary.

In a social media post, Gatchalian thanked Marcos for giving him the opportunity to "serve the country in a much larger capacity."

He also assured his constituents that the "services of our Congress and district offices" will continue, adding that a "caretaker" will be appointed by the House of Representatives in the next few days.

"Please don't worry. Business as usual," Gatchalian wrote on Twitter.

Prior to winning a seat in the current Congress, Gatchalian also served as mayor of Valenzuela City. His past programs on social protection and disaster response were highlighted by the Palace in its latest advisory.

He said his colleagues recommended that Malacañang include him in the list of candidates for the job.

Gatchalian will replace Erwin Tulfo, whose designation as DSWD chief was bypassed twice by the Commission on Appointments over libel and citizenship issues. The president then named Undersecretary Eduardo Punay as officer-in-charge of the agency.

READ: Marcos: Plans for Erwin Tulfo do not include being adviser

The DSWD, meanwhile, welcomed the appointment and vowed to work with its new leader.

"The community supports the president in appointing Secretary Gatchalian to lead the department in its pursuit of compassionate public service," it said.