Duterte online defender appointed social welfare assistant secretary

MANILA, Philippines – One of President Rodrigo Duterte's staunchest supporters online has been appointed assistant secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD).

A release from the department posted on its website confirmed the appointment of Dr Lorraine Badoy on Monday, February 13.

"We are happy to confirm news that Dr Badoy will be joining us in the DSWD. She will be the focal person of the Office of the Secretary in implementing the medicine assistance to drug dependents undergoing rehabilitation," the release quotes Social Weflare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo as saying.

Badoy, a human rights advocate and non-governmental organization worker, was one of the online personalities invited by President Rodrigo Duterte to Malacañang on February 7.

Another online personality supportive of the administration given a government post is blogger and sex advice writer Mocha Uson, who was appointed Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) board member.

Badoy, according to Taguiwalo, will be put in charge of a program that will provide medical assistance to drug addicts. Duterte has announced P1 billion funding for the program as part of the rehabilitation component of his administration's "drug war."

Badoy welcomed her appointment in a Facebook post, calling it "a privilege, a duty, a sacred trust."

"Today though, I start a new chapter in my life as a public servant at the DSWD where I have a clear shot at changing some of those lives for the better and with resources I've never had at my disposal all those years I did my thing," she wrote.

Badoy is the daughter of former Sandiganbayan Associate Justice Anacleto Badoy Jr, known for chairing the Third Division court that heard the plunder case of former President and now Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada. – Rappler.com